Aquaculture and Marine Fisheries:Will Capture Fisheries RemainCompetitive?

Abstract

The importance of aquaculture as a means of supplying the predicted shortfall of fisheries and other aquatic products has been increasingly proposed. It would appear certain that increased demands from growing populations must be met from managed systems in which outputs can be increased from selected productive inputs. While aquaculture largely meets such criteria, this is far less the case for marine fisheries, whose ecological and institutional complexity constrains most options for growth. However, aquaculture itself is by no means free of constraints, and is unlikely to have unlimited potential for expansion and the sustainable delivery of benefits. This paper explores comparative features of aquaculture and marine fisheries, internationally and at the regional North Atlantic level, and considers the extent and circumstances in which marine fisheries will retain their significance, and in which, if at all, aquaculture might be expected, to supplant their former role. The conclusion drawn is that while aquaculture can offer important advantages of controllability, ownership rights and responsibilities, and market adaptation, the future may see greater integration of the aquaculture and marine fisheries sector, and greater appreciation of their comparative roles.