Food systems & oceans
Mariculture
Definition
Mariculture is a specialised branch of aquaculture: the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, enclosed coastal waters, or tanks and ponds filled with seawater (FAO definition). Species include finfish (salmon, sea bass), molluscs (oysters, mussels), crustaceans and seaweeds.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
What it means
Ranging from low-impact bivalve and seaweed farming (which can provide ecosystem services and need no feed) to intensive fed finfish systems (with concerns over escapes, disease, effluent and wild-fish feed inputs), mariculture's sustainability depends heavily on species, siting and practice.
How it is used
As wild catches plateau, mariculture supplies a growing share of seafood; certification schemes (ASC), zoning and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture address its impacts.
Why it matters
Ocean farming is central to future protein supply and "blue food" strategies; done well it can relieve pressure on wild stocks and store carbon, done badly it exports land-use problems to the sea.