{"id":6906,"date":"2026-06-11T14:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T11:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/btagro.com\/new\/wordpress\/how-technology-can-improve-sustainable-aquaculture-2\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T14:39:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T11:09:17","slug":"how-technology-can-improve-sustainable-aquaculture-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btagro.com\/en\/how-technology-can-improve-sustainable-aquaculture-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How Technology Can Improve Sustainable Aquaculture"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Right now, there\u2019s legislation before Congress to add basic standards, regulations and safeguards for offshore aquaculture in the U.S., called the\u00a0AQUAA Act<\/a>. (Aquaculture means farming fish and aquatic life as opposed to hunting them.) By “basic,” I mean just that:\u00a0<\/strong>The U.S. is well behind\u00a0other countries<\/a>\u00a0that already have a central agency and strong policies to regulate the health and growth of farmed seafood.<\/p>\n

There are enough crises in the world that sustainably farmed fish might not seem important. As long as the fish gets to your stores and restaurants, does it really matter where it came from or how it got there? It matters.<\/p>\n

The U.S. imports\u00a0around 80% of its seafood<\/a>, to the tune of a\u00a0$17 billion seafood trade deficit<\/a>\u00a0as of 2020. This isn\u2019t sustainable. Health, jobs, standards, climate and also economic balance and food availability are on the line.<\/p>\n

Not long ago, farmed fish had earned a\u00a0dubious reputation<\/a>: unhealthy fish in unhealthy waters, of suspect quality, with a risk of parasites that could imperil wild fish populations. Meanwhile, careless mass net fishing was scooping up endangered populations along with its intended catches, destroying delicate underwater ecosystems and wiping out fish breeding grounds so that wild populations couldn\u2019t replenish their numbers.<\/p>\n

The wild fishing industry seized its\u00a0marketing moment<\/a>\u00a0and did an excellent job of educating the public that line-caught fish were the\u00a0best choice for consumers and the environment<\/a>. Which was mostly true, except for one giant problem:\u00a0There is no way that wild fish can keep their vital place in our planet\u2019s ecosystems and feed the world\u2019s rapidly growing human population at the same time.<\/em><\/p>\n

In fact, the United Nations issued its State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) report in 2021 which says, “Over 800 million people<\/a>\u00a0now suffer from hunger and 2.4 billion people have severely limited access to adequate food. … the challenge to feed a growing population without exhausting our natural resources continues to increase.”<\/p>\n

Taking more food than we replenish is simple math that doesn\u2019t end well\u2014and that\u2019s not factoring in the damage done by climate change to native species and our interconnected food chains. Storms, heat waves, fires and disrupted growing seasons don\u2019t vote, but they do change the food you get, how you get it and how much it costs.<\/p>\n

How Technology Can Influence Sustainable Aquaculture<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When we think about global food solutions, sustainable aquaculture needs to fill the gap. It\u2019s the\u00a0most efficient source of protein<\/a>, and the U.N. has said that\u00a0it is crucial<\/a>\u00a0to help meet its Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n

By \u201csustainable aquaculture\u201d I mean fish raised in large pens (a ratio of about 98% water to 2% fish), monitored and managed to raise the healthiest fish possible with care for the environment and the climate, minimizing treatments, waste and contamination of wild fish populations. Healthier fish sells for a higher price, so fish farmers are highly incentivized to grow higher quality farmed fish because they earn a higher income.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s changed, to make this oldest of industries better and more sustainable? Technology.<\/p>\n

The same thinking that brought us the tractor instead of hand cultivation, or weather satellites instead of just looking at the sky, could make aquaculture more efficient and healthier. The best fish farms today follow the adage, \u201cWhat isn\u2019t monitored isn\u2019t managed,” and technology can help revolutionize this industry by allowing fish farmers to:<\/p>\n