Environmental and biodiversity impacts of capture-based aquaculture

The project 'Towards sustainable aquaculture: selected issues and guidelines', implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), seeks to address selected key issues of sustainability in relation to current global aquaculture practices and developments. The use of wild fish and fishery resources for aquaculture production, is identified as an important component of aquaculture production systems based on capture-based aquaculture (CBA). Two review papers ( social and economic aspects and environmental and biodiversity issues of wild resource use) are presented in this document together with ten background papers on selected marine and freshwater species used for CBA. The thematic review on environmental and biodiversity issues, covers a wide range of representative marine and freshwater, vertebrate and invertebrate species used for CBA, selected from the four major taxonomic groups of cultured organisms, molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms and finfishes with the following objectives: 1) to summarize the life history stage(s) and habitat(s) of seeds collected from the wild, the regions and countries where CBA is taking place, why and how they are being used, capture method(s) and volumes with associated bycatch and discards; 2) to diagnose and discuss the current and/or potential impacts of CBA practice on the environment and wild stocks; 3) to review current agreements and legislation for ensuring sustainability of wild seed fisheries and trade for CBA, methods to reduce bycatch and their implementation, and to discuss potential management measures at national and international levels; 4) to discuss the fundamental relationships between life history stages being exploited and impacts on wild stocks; and 5) to provide recommendations for sustainable wild seed and capture fisheries and CBA practices.