Nutrient policies and the performance of aquaculture in developed countries – a literature review

Abstract

Eutrophication is a serious problem in many parts of the world, and aquaculture production can contribute to the problem as well as be part of its solution. Nutrient polices in developed countries are often command-and-control policies that may have contributed to the slow growth of the sector. We perform a literature review to investigate how current nutrient polices affect the sector and if economic incentive policies have greater potential to support sector growth. Although the literature is limited in many aspects, the results indicate that this may be the case. Given that the ability to measure, monitor and control has improved over time, possibilities for using economic incentive policies have increased. For example, subsidies that are results-based, i.e., based on the amount of emissions that are reduced, could be used. It is also possible for aquaculture production to benefit from being included in emissions trading systems, where these are available.