U.s. Salmon Aquaculture Ethical Issues - 1390 Words

U.S. Salmon Aquaculture: Ethical Issues in Farmed Salmon Kimberly Jones Troy University Dr. Miller Abstract There are many ethical arguments surrounding aquaculture. The salmon industry in the United States has many ethical concerns in relation to farmed salmon. This paper will first discuss the salmon industry, then discuss specific ethical issues facing farmed salmon, and finally review any laws, regulations or relief efforts in place to reduce these ethical concerns, or that aggravate these concerns. Keywords: aquaculture, ethics, genetically modified organisms, GMOs, salmon U.S. Aquaculture: Ethical Issues in Farmed Salmon Animal agriculture has been utilized for thousands of years to provide human beings with dependable sources†¦show more content†¦Palm oil harvest often leads to deforestation of the rainforests, and raises many ethical concerns from the public, (Levitt, 2015). Harm to Wild Salmon Populations. When fish like salmon are farmed, often the fish are still kept in the ocean; however, they live inside of nets so that they are still contained. There are many ethical arguments based around these net systems because these nets pose threats to wild salmon. Captive salmon can escape from the nets, which allows them to breed with wild salmon. This can disrupt the natural gene pool of wild salmon. Farmed salmon have been shown to outgrow wild salmon when introduced into the wild, and typically have higher mortality rates, which would be poor traits to be introduced into the wild gene pool, (Hindar, et al., 2006). Unfortunately, with the invasive farmed salmon being introduced to wild populations from escapees of net systems, the recovery of the original wild salmon is unlikely, even if decades went by without more intrusive farmed salmon being present, (Hindar, et al., 2006). Another problem is that the nets do not contain wastes from the captive salmon inside, wastes such as uneaten feed, and feces from the fish are dispersed into the open waters of the ocean. Wild salmon can contract infections and parasites from captive farmed salmon in nets. A study indicated that these parasites, such as sea lice, and infections lead to high mortality rates in wild salmon passing nearShow MoreRelatedEssay on Aqua Fish Canada Inc Ai2924 Words   |  12 PagesChilean output has increased the supply of salmon and the Canadian dollar has strengthened in relation to the U.S. dollar. As a result, AFC has been unable to meet its budgeted revenue targets. Stocks of unsold harvestable fish have increased, as well as the corresponding cost of maintaining the fish, and the company barely made a profit in fiscal 2009. In January 2009, AFC lost one of its largest retail customers, SF Seafood, to a new salmon aquaculture firm, Nu-Farm Inc. This new competitor usesRead MoreFishing Restrictions And How They Impact The American Fishing Industry1888 Words   |  8 PagesElle Menzel 23 March 2016 Brant/Byrne AP Seminar Aquaculture in the United States Undoubtedly, the nation is falling into an inordinate fish crisis. Many systems are in practice to contribute to feedings the world’s population, and roughly one-third of this responsibility falls in the hands aquatic fish farming. Aquaculture holds the potential to be a highly sustainable way to solve this problem, yet, there is much hesitance in making his decision facing the future of our nation (White). In the StruggleRead MoreLife Cycle Analysis ( Lca )3001 Words   |  13 Pagesimprove through implementing more efficient and ecological design and developmental techniques, ecological and social positive development, eliminating wastes, decreasing deleterious inputs and outputs, and pollution prevention as well as reevaluating ethical and social impacts afflicted through practices. Taking a â€Å"less harm† approach is often the first step in evaluating the impact of a product s life cycle on the environment beginning from the abstraction of raw materials, manufacturing, productionRead MoreSuperbugs and Large-scale Use of Antibiotics in Livestock Feeding3115 Words   |  13 Pagesâ€Å"where a similar amount of meat [to that of the U.S.] is consumed†, the use of sub-theraputic (and therefore dangerous) levels of antibiotics is outlawed (Borell 1997). Currently, â€Å"approximately 13.5 million pounds of antimicrobials prohibited in the European Union are used in agriculture for nontherapeutic purposes every year by U.S. livestock producers† (Union of Concerned Scientists 2001). Therefore, it is an easy counterargument to make against the U.S. cattle industry that if the European Union