A multidisciplinary analysis of the spatial patterns of marine aquaculture development

This project examined how mariculture, the cultivation of marine plants and animals, has developed around the world and through time, providing an understanding of the forces that drive the diffusion of new seafood farming practices at global and regional scales. Mariculture production is growing quickly, but the spatial patterns of production are varied, with some regions experiencing rapid expansion while others lack any development despite good conditions for growth. Although mariculture is expected to be an increasingly critical component of the global food system, there has been limited research on why mariculture development exhibits a geographically heterogeneous pattern or how farming technologies expand into new locations. To fill these knowledge gaps, we analyzed the geographic, social, political, economic, and ecological dimensions of mariculture production, examining the importance of these diverse factors in driving mariculture expansion. This research provided novel insights into the pathbreaking countries and characteristics of innovation that can foster a sustainable trajectory for mariculture, including policy approaches that may be influential in enabling mariculture development and expansion.

Some key findings:

  • Using global datasets describing country-level mariculture production and socioeconomic, governance, and biophysical factors that may influence production, the project demonstrated that socioeconomic conditions are a significant contributor to whether a country produces mariculture and the magnitude of its production. These results are relatively consistent across cultured taxa (finfish, crustaceans, molluscs, algae). The analysis suggests that improving seafood farming infrastructure, increasing local seafood demand, and facilitating knowledge transfer from land-based and freshwater aquaculture could help countries develop stronger mariculture industries.

  • Examining the trajectories of mariculture development around the world, the project classified different country-level development patterns. The research showed that most countries follow predictable development patterns associated with key economic and governance indicators, such as regulatory quality. Additionally, production of some taxa (e.g., molluscs) is more stable over time, as is true when a country cultivated a greater diversity of species. Taken together, these results suggest that enabling policies may unlock mariculture growth opportunities and that strategies that emphasize production of a diversity of species could contribute to a more stable mariculture industry.

  • Building on results suggesting that developing new mariculture species may be important for sustainable expansion of the industry into new geographies, the project analyzed which countries are global leaders for new species development and for spreading cultivated species, and how country characteristics may facilitate innovation. The research found that countries with long histories of aquaculture innovation (e.g., Japan, France) have had success developing widely produced species, while other countries (e.g., Singapore) may play a disproportionate role in the subsequent spread of new species. Results also revealed that strong governance and economic conditions play small but significant roles in facilitating the development and spread of mariculture species.

  • The project provided the first systematic overview of state-level mariculture policy for the 23 coastal marine states in the United States, compiling information for 16 policy attributes that could enable mariculture development. The research found considerable heterogeneity in how states govern and regulate mariculture. As examples, 48% of states have an aquaculture development act, 35% have spatial zoning for mariculture and only 26% have a government-provided mariculture best management practices document. The results also suggested certain policy features that may be important in promoting mariculture production.

  • Through a case study analysis of seafloor ranching in Australia, the project analyzed the suitability of existing mariculture management frameworks to support alternative culture approaches. The research found that policy frameworks differ widely across Australia's states and Northern Territory in terms of their applicability to seafloor ranching activities, with substantial gaps for the siting and building of ranching infrastructure.

  • The project contributed to the theoretical advancement of a new field of study: 'maricultural geography'. The field of geography has long contributed crucial insights to our understanding of food systems, but this scholarship has focused predominantly on terrestrial food production, even though over a third of the global population relies on seafood to meet their dietary needs. This research argued for scholarship that engages with the distinct dynamics and tensions of farming in the sea. The research evaluated geographers' existing contributions to the mariculture literature and outlined three pathways for further disciplinary engagement focused on food geographies, feminist geographies, and social studies of science.

 

Why does it matter?

Marine aquaculture is growing quickly in many places and has been shown to be one of the most sustainable food production systems in terms of carbon emissions, space use, and freshwater consumption. It also has the potential to bring economic development to coastal communities and to provide healthy, locally grown food in areas that cannot meet seafood demand through wild fishing. However, when marine aquaculture is too dense or intensive or is developed in the wrong places it can have significant negative social and ecological effects. In order to understand when and where marine aquaculture is likely to develop in the future and to inform this development so that it is both socially and environmentally sustainable, we need to understand why and how it has grown in the past. 

 

Project Team:

  • Dr. Sarah Lester, PI

  • Dr. Rebecca Gentry, post-doc (Alumni)

  • Bess Ruff, PhD student (Alumni)

  • Hayley Lemoine, PhD student

 

Publications:

 

Project funded by the National Science Foundation Geography and Spatial Sciences Program, Award #1759559