"The overall goal of these efforts is to reduce mankind's footprint on the seas, by transitioning toward a more nurturing relationship with our seafood," said Neil Sims, the co-founder and co-CEO of Kampachi Farms, in a press statement. "The Kona Blue operation made some tremendous advances in marine fish production. We grew over 1 million pounds of Kona Kampachi per year at that site, with no measureable impact on the environment beyond the immediate net pen area."

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Put Another Shrimp On the Barbie! (Or Not)

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Commercial shrimp farming, on the other hand, faces a genetic hurdle. More than 75 percent of the world's shrimp supply is produced in Asia, specifically Thailand and China. The other 25 percent is mostly from South America by way of Brazil. Just two species, Pacific white shrimp and the giant tiger prawns, constitute 80 percent of the shrimp raised commercially. Two humongous mono-cultures of shrimp grown in less than a half dozen countries could easily be devastated by an outbreak of viral, bacterial, or fungal disease just as Tropical Race 4 nearly obliterated the Cavendish banana. Oh wait, never mind, they already have been. Repeatedly. And considering that the US imports 80 percent of the shrimp it consumes every year, some $3.5 billion dollars worth, a mass die off of Vietnamese shrimp will be tough for the American public to swallow (or not).

To prevent the spread of disease within US aquaculture, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Program (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), and state environmental agencies collaboratively provide oversight and regulatory enforcement concerning water quality and environmental protection. The Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is specifically charged overseeing the health of animals and plants.

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So, while aquaculture isn't the ideal end-all solution to our demand for seafood, it is currently one of the best and one of the only ways to do so. Because it's not like we can go back to the unbridled industrial fishing practices of last century—there simply aren't enough fish in the sea.

[Phys Org - Wikipedia 1, 2 - FAO - USDA 1, 2, 3 - NOAA - Monterey Bay Aquarium - The NAA - Cornell - Seafood Source - Top Image: NOAA, Other Images: The Associated Press]