Wow. You don't have to search hard to be overwhelmed by news of failing ocean ecosystems. Any web search will return a seemingly unlimited list of articles with generally the same point - if we don't change our behavior we will be sorry. Virtually no one is on the other side of the fence claiming the opposite. Try searching for anyone claiming all is well. Dead silence.

Pick practically any other topic and you'll find a distribution of opinions. Some for, some against, some agree, some disagree. Everyone can point to facts, studies, and data to support their position. Can you find a counter point to "Pollution is harmful to ocean health."? How about an argument against "we're taking too much from the sea."?

Pollution and over fishing seem to be the main threads and no one is denying there's a problem. Therefore, let's not waste time with additional words trying to prove it or sharpen the point to finely. Maybe it's time we rolled up our sleeves and got busy with a solution. HabiSea Foundation's goal is to make a sizable improvement in the over-fishing problem.

No Shortage of Solutions
Let's face it - we aren't going to stop eating fish worldwide. Seafood is a significant protein source for the majority of humans on the planet. In some countries it is their primary protein source. Even if you could cause a reduction in consumption, it would have unintended consequences. What will replace that protein source? Fish convert food they eat to protein for human consumption more efficiently than most other animal protein sources. Moving to another protein source is as bad for the environment as it is unlikely. Anyone calling for moratorium on eating fish is wasting their time and yours.

Can you solve over-fishing with Marine Protected Areas? MPAs or Marine Parks probably have made a positive impact. They are beneficial in that they raise awareness, and to some degree allow localized regeneration of endemic species. But, studies have indicated they have limited benefit and positive impact has been difficult to detect in most cases. Additionally, MPAs are only as good as the effort a country is willing to invest in enforcement. MPAs are administered by countries around the globe individually and not all countries (or companies) respect these boundaries. Where there is a profit to be made, there will be someone who takes it - regardless of the consequences. This fact must be accepted. Unfortunate maybe, but the fact is we can't count on everyone doing the right thing.

Can you solve over fishing with aquaculture? Certainly, but there's a catch! :) Currently, the percentage of seafood consumed from aquaculture methods is rising year over year and is at an all-time high. It's expected to continue this upward trajectory. And, the negative impacts to ocean habitat has climbed steadily as a result. What's the link? We're pulling more out of the ocean than ever before and much of it is being converted to feed for our aquaculture operations. We haven't reduced our impact on the ocean, in fact we've increased it. As we grow aquaculture, more and more is needed for feed, and much of that is coming from the ocean. We've switched to taking species that are less desirable for human consumption in order to feed our aquaculture operations. Those species we're now depleting formed part of the food pyramid for other species. Many very smart people are predicting a collapse of the oceanic food chain if we fail to act soon.

Maybe we use human nature in our favor
Any solution must make a compelling case for adoption. One way is via economic motivation. People will go where ever it's easier, cheaper, or more profitable. What if it was easier and cheaper to raise fish than to harvest wild stock. What if it was easier and cheaper to buy feed stock grown in aquaculture systems, than to by feed stock from wild catch operations. I think it can be both.

The feedback loop
HabiSea Foundation supports the development of co-operatives wherein automated, recirculated aquaculture (and aquaponics) systems enable widely distributed land-based operations. These co-ops should have built-in balanced supply and demand characteristics. In the co-op, some users grow fish species for feed stock and plants, while others grow species for human consumption and plants. This provides a built-in demand mechanism for those new to the industry, and a highly profitable growth opportunity for those who participate, learn, and improve. While new users are learning daily operations they form the foundation of production for feed stock, while simultaneously raising plant crops valuable to their local population. At scale these feed producers can supplant the wild caught stocks being taken from natural ecosystems.

Automation, when coupled with modern sensors and machine learning has the potential to increase yields while reducing obstacles for those new to the field. Advanced sensors capable of detecting mortality and disease earlier, reduce risk of loss and improve yields overall. Coupled with Machine Learning algorithms problems can be detected more quickly and controls applied instantly. These corrections to the system can happen in most cases before the operators are aware of the impending trouble. These automated systems must take more variables into account and at a faster sampling rate than is common today. Sampling a few times per week. or even a few times per day and for relatively few quality controls is not sufficient. For precise habitat control, dozens of characteristics should be sampled dozens of time per day with immediate control interventions made automatically. These environmental characteristics should be species specific in that the system should configure itself automatically for whatever species is being raised in that cycle. An optimal rearing environment should be the minimum acceptable threshold of care. Unfortunately, today the status-quo in most cases is barely adequate. This is likely due to a focus on reduced mortality, as apposed to a goal of optimal species specific environmental conditions.

Automation, heightened standards, and built-in market demand are minimum requirements for success when success is defined by transitioning from a world-wide reliance on wild catch to land-based aquaculture. To succeed, we must close the loop on aquaculture so the industry is no longer reliant on wild catch. We must further improve automation to reduce waste. And, we must improve our aquaculture habitats to provide an environment where our stock thrive, instead of merely surviving.

(to be continued)

Fred Darnell, Founder HabiSea
October 2022