Recently there has been a meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in Mobile, Ala. The discussion has focused on some health and environmental issues of aquaculture, revealing a strong opposition between the parts.
The aquaculture fishery management plan, developed by the Gulf Council, has been judged as a “piecemeal, fragmented approach” to an industry “without proper environmental and health standards” by the Ocean Conservancy. The plan has encountered several objections, because it wouldn’t protect against pollution and fish quality, pointing only to the profit. Nick Rahall, chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, said the council simply doesn’t have the authority to regulate offshore aquaculture.
Joe Hendrix, a Gulf Council member and owner of Sea Fish Mariculture, has tried to explain the Council’s reasons, arguing that there isn’t profit from pollution increase or massive use of medicine, because consumers would not tolerate similar choices. The debate will continue to the next meeting in January, if you want to read more about click here.
