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GESAMP - Assessment and communication of environmental risks in coastal aquaculture.










GESAMP (IMO/FAO/UNESCO-IOC/UNIDO/WMO/IAEA/UN/UNEP Joint Group of Eexperts on Sscientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection) 2008. Assessment and communication of environmental risks in coastal aquaculture. Rome, FAO. Reports and Studies GESAMP No. 76: 198 pp.


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    Reducing environmental impacts of coastal aquaculture. 1991
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    There have been substantial socio-economic benefits arising from the expansion of coastal aquaculture. However, in some coastal regions, this has caused significant ecological changes. 2. The type and scale of any ecological change associated with coastal aquaculture development will depend on the method of aquaculture, the level of production and the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the coastal area. Ecological change has been associated with the large-scale production of bivalves and seaweeds and the release of dissolved and particulate waste from fish, shrimp, and bivalve culture. Destruction of productive wetland habitats has resulted in the disturbance of wildlife and uncontrolled introductions and transfers have altered or impoverished the biodiversity of the receiving ecosystem. Some ecological change, such as the impact of organic waste on the seabed ecosystem, can limit production. 3. The indiscriminate use of bioactive compounds, including pesticides and antibiotics, has caused concern about their release into the aquatic environment. The health implications of the use of chemicals and the consumption of seafood grown in contaminated waters are problems of growing concern, especially in relation to intoxication by phycotoxins and infectious diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, and hepatitis. 4. Some of the ecological and socio-economic problems encountered are due to the market failure to reflect the true cost of resource depletion and environmental change. The solution to this problem requires policy intervention at national and local level, particularly in regard to the issues of common property rights and economic incentives and deterrents needed to minimize environmental change. 5. Sustainable coastal aquaculture requires adequate consideration of the interactions among the social, economic and ecological changes.
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    Environmental impact assessment and monitoring in aquaculture.
    Requirements, practices, effectiveness and improvements
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    This document contains the main outputs of Component 2 of the FAO project “Towards sustainable aquaculture: selected issues and guidelines”. Component 2 focused on environmental impact assessment and monitoring in aquaculture, in particular on the relevant regulatory requirements, the practice, the effectiveness and suggestions for improvements. The report includes four regional reviews on EIA and monitoring in aquaculture in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North Amer ica, a special study on EIA as applied to salmon aquaculture, as well as a global review and synthesis report which draw on the findings of the review papers, covering relevant information from more than 35 countries. In addition, this document provides the Report of the Technical Workshop on Environmental Impact Assessment and Monitoring in Aquaculture, held at FAO headquarters in Rome from 15 to 17 September 2008. The global and regional reviews in this study and the associated tec hnical workshop draw on experience from throughout the world in the application of EIA and monitoring to aquaculture development. In practice most aquaculture is small-scale and is not subject to EIA or rigorous monitoring. More emphasis needs to be placed on environmental management frameworks which can address the environmental issues associated with large numbers of small-scale developments – including strategic environmental assessment, risk analysis, management plans for waterbo dies and/or groups of farms, monitoring and response procedures. Where EIA is applied there is mixed experience. Several weaknesses were identified in the regional reviews and at the workshop, including lack of consistency in assessment; lack of appropriate standards; lack of integration between levels and divisions of government; inadequate or ineffective public consultation; lack of assessment skill and capacity; limited follow-up in terms of implementation and monitoring; and exce ssive bureaucracy and delays. There is very little hard evidence on cost effectiveness. Monitoring is of fundamental importance to effective environmental management of aquaculture, and without which EIA itself is largely pointless. The main weakness identified was limited implementation of monitoring requirements as developed in EIA environmental management plans, and limited analysis, reporting and feedback of farm level and wider environmental monitoring programmes into management of individual farms and the sector as a whole. The key to more effective use of both EIA and monitoring procedures will be to nest them within a higher level strategic planning and management framework, including clear environmental objectives and quality standards. More rigorous risk analysis should be used to inform the focus of both EIA and monitoring.
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    Mediterranean coastal lagoons: sustainable management and interactions among aquaculture, capture fisheries and the environment 2015
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    The Mediterranean region hosts around 400 coastal lagoons, covering a surface of over 641 000 ha differing in both their typology and use. Fisheries and various forms of aquaculture have been traditionally carried out in Mediterranean coastal lagoons since ancient times and are part of the cultural heritage of the region. Traditional lagoon management linked to extensive aquaculture and fish harvesting has certainly contributed, over time, to preserve these peculiar ecosystems, although much of the coastal lagoon areas have progressively disappeared due to land reclamation and other uses. Recently, coastal lagoons have become a relevant environmental concern: land claiming, pollution and the lack of management, among other factors, have strongly modified both the structure and functioning of these sensitive coastal ecosystems. In particular, the management of traditional aquaculture and capture fisheries activities has been identified as the main instrument to maintain lagoons’ ecolog ical features and to prevent the degradation of their sensitive habitats, both from an environmental and socioeconomic point of view. To guarantee the sustainability of aquaculture and capture fisheries in lagoons, proper management plans should be established so as to ensure the preservation of both biodiversity and local knowledge. This should also be considered as a fundamental pillar for any programme aiming at the preservation and restoration of lagoons’ environment.

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