Aquaculture and the Illusion of Sustainability
It sounds like a dream:
Fish raised in clean enclosures,
Seaweed absorbing carbon in the sun,
Shrimp grown without trawlers or torn-up seafloors.
It’s the ocean…made orderly.
Aquaculture, the farming of fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants, promises a gentler harvest. A solution to the depletion of wild fisheries. A new chapter in the story of food and the sea.
But sometimes, the dream is a costume.
And behind it waits the same story we always tell: growth, profit, and harm.
The Rise of Aquaculture
Aquaculture now supplies more than 50% of the seafood we eat globally.
It’s everywhere:
Shrimp in your sushi roll
Salmon on your dinner plate
Seaweed in your smoothie
Tilapia on the cafeteria tray
It promises:
Relief for overfished species
Lower carbon footprints
Localized food systems
Cleaner protein production
But behind the marketing, not all aquaculture is created equal.
Related Read: Farmed Salmon vs. Wild: What We’re Really Eating
Where flavor, ethics, and ecosystems collide in every bite.
Farmed Fish: When the Ocean Becomes a Feedlot
Fish are not chickens. They don’t thrive in tight quarters (not that chickens thrive in them either!). Yet many fish farms resemble feedlots…dense, static, controlled.
The Problem with Salmon Farms:
High stocking density spreads sea lice and disease
Open-net pens leak waste and pharmaceuticals into the ocean
Escaped salmon breed with wild stocks, threatening genetic diversity
They consume wild fish in pellet form…up to 5 lbs of wild fish for 1 lb of farmed salmon
It’s not a closed loop. It’s a siphon.
In Chile, Norway, and Canada, industrial salmon farming has devastated local environments. Sea floors beneath pens become dead zones. Wild fish disappear.
And still, the label says “sustainable.”
Shrimp: The Hidden Cost of Convenience
Shrimp farming is one of aquaculture’s most destructive sub-industries…especially in tropical regions.
What it takes:
Bulldozing mangrove forests
Massive freshwater use
Crowded ponds laced with antibiotics
Short crop cycles, long-term devastation
Mangroves protect coasts from storms and absorb four times more carbon than rainforests. Yet they've been sacrificed…shrimp by shrimp…across Southeast Asia and Latin America.
In Bangladesh and Thailand, entire villages have been displaced by saline contamination from shrimp farms.
And still, we call it eco-friendly.
Related Read: Microplastics in Water
Because what we do to the ocean always comes back to our tap.
Seaweed: The Green Darling…But Not Always
Seaweed is often painted as the hero of aquaculture. And sometimes it is.
Benefits of well-managed seaweed farms:
Absorbs CO₂ and excess nutrients
Requires no fertilizer or freshwater
Boosts marine biodiversity
Can be harvested gently, without uprooting
But industrial seaweed production can go too far:
Monoculture plantations reduce ecosystem resilience
Chemical contaminants from nearby agriculture can concentrate
Harvesting methods can harm local species that use seaweed as habitat
Not all seaweed is equal. Not all oceans are welcoming.
Greenwashing in Aquaculture
Sustainability is trendy. And where trend goes, so does manipulation.
Common greenwashing tactics:
“All Natural” with no verification
“Ocean Raised” used to describe open-net pens in polluted bays
“Eco-Friendly” logos from industry groups with weak standards
“Local” labels that hide the fact that the fish’s feed came from halfway across the globe
Some certifications mean something…like ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) or BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices). But even these have loopholes.
Real sustainability takes transparency, traceability, and time.
Related Read: Why the Ocean Tastes Different Now
Flavor is memory. And sometimes, extinction tastes like silence.
When Aquaculture Does Work
Not all is lost. Some farms are restoring balance.
Examples of Sustainable Aquaculture:
Shellfish farming (mussels, oysters, clams): naturally filter water, require no feed
Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA): mimics ecosystems by growing fish, algae, and shellfish together
On-land recirculating systems (RAS): recycle water, reduce escape risk, and isolate disease
Kelp farming with local seed sources: supports native biodiversity
These models don’t scale fast. But they scale right.
They ask: What does the ocean want?
Not: What can we take next?
How to Tell the Difference as a Consumer
You don’t need to be a marine biologist to make better choices. But you do need to be curious.
Questions to Ask:
Where was this seafood raised?
Was it fed wild fish or plants?
Was the farm certified (and by whom)?
Does the farm rotate crops or species?
Is there an ecosystem benefit, or just extraction?
Check resources like Seafood Watch or FishChoice before you buy.
Things to Try:
Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale – Amazon
Perfect for weighing sustainable portions, meal prepping, or portioning responsibly sourced seafood at home.
Back to the Roots Water Garden Duo – Amazon
A small aquaponics setup that lets you grow herbs while raising fish…perfect for demonstrating sustainable home aquaculture.
The Personal Cost of “Clean” Food
We crave clarity. Labels like “sustainable” soothe our conscience. But if we dig, we find:
Shrimp that drowned a forest
Salmon that suffocated a bay
Seaweed that came at the cost of a coral reef
There is no shame in not knowing. But there is power in learning.
Related Read: The Emotional Lives of Fish
Before you eat what swam, ask what it felt.
A Quiet Shift Back to Balance
Some chefs are dropping shrimp entirely.
Some sushi spots are replacing tuna with tomato.
Some farmers are growing kelp and oysters on the same rope.
This isn’t a revolution. It’s a slow reconciliation.
With the sea.
With honesty.
With the truth that food should not come at the cost of collapse.
Related Read: The Secret Life of Soil
Life thrives where we stop trying to control it…and start listening instead.
What We Feed Ourselves, We Feed the Earth
Aquaculture is not evil. It’s an idea.
It can heal. It can harm.
It can mimic the reef…or mock it.
It can grow food…or grow illusion.
The next time you see “sustainable shrimp” or “eco-friendly salmon,” pause.
Not in judgment. In wonder.
Because the sea still feeds us.
But only if we remember how to feed it back.
