Sustainability Science in Aquaculture

"The changes taking place [on planet Earth] are, in fact, changes in the human-nature relationship. They are recent, they are profound, and many are accelerating. They are cascading through the Earth’s environment in ways that are difficult to understand and often impossible to predict. Surprises abound."

There are many definitions of "sustainability" as the concept applies to aquaculture. The most popular definition of sustainable development is to "meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs" adopted at a United Nations conference in 1987. Most definitions of sustainability are synonymous with "environmental sustainability" of air, water, and land systems. Sustainability is however a concept broader than examining the sitespecific environmental impacts of externalities in planning for site-specific developments; it also accounts for systematic impacts off site, and impacts to combined human-environmental systems for food, water, waste, energy, and shelter. The many definitions of sustainability all embody common the concepts of "stewardship", "design with nature," plus incorporate recent concepts of the "precautionary principle", and "carrying capacity". Sustainability science uses the wisdom from multiple disciplines in decision-making (e.g. it is "transdisciplinary"). In aquaculture, it is used to undertake more comprehensive planning for multiple impacts on multiple time and spatial scales to better understand and plan for the consequences of development options.

The emerging fields of ecological aquaculture [2,3] and agroecology [7,8] recognize that the implementation of more sustainable food production systems require knowledge about how ecosystems are utilized and how conflicts among social groups are addressed. A baseline of response to social ecological changes is the foundation for the implementation of more sustainable food systems, and the practice of adaptive management must be included as responses to changes in the condition of ecosystems in which new food production is conducted requires incorporation of an iterative learning process.

The use of sustainability science in aquaculture marks the path toward encouraging a long-term perspective and an appreciation of the roles played not only by ecologists, but also by civil societies, markets, and governments in adapting to food systems and ecosystems changes. The use of sustainability science in aquaculture is an approach that is fundamentally a knowledgebased enterprise that incorporates baseline information on natural and human ecosystems, then develops, evaluates, encourages, and communicates imagination, ingenuity, and innovation at both the individual and institutional levels [9].

This information is designed for use by teams of aquaculture professionals working to apply the principles of ecosystem-based management. Information obtained is typically cross sectoral as interdisciplinary groups are needed that are educated in such diverse fields as the natural and social sciences, law, and business. Applying the notions of sustainability science in aquaculture is intended to inspire engagement of governmental agencies, businesses, non-governmental groups and academics to achieve the highest form of sustainable development in any known protein production food system by using the concepts of ecological design and through the many forms of stewardship. At present, there is a paucity of information targeted specifically for those engaged in aquaculture programs and projects in places where the ability of government to regulate and direct the processes of ecosystem change is weak or severely constrained.