The role of marine aquaculture in contributing to the diversity and stability of U.S. seafood production

Abstract

Seafood systems are likely to face increasing environmental, economic, and political stressors, leading to disruptions to marine ecosystems and to the communities that depend on harvest of marine resources. Drawing from portfolio theory, we suggest that a more diverse industry might be more stable and resilient in the face of these stressors; and one important source of diversification could be from increasing and broadening marine aquaculture production. This is one argument for encouraging development of marine aquaculture within the United States, where the industry currently accounts for < 10% of domestic seafood value. Using regional production data, we explore the evidence that marine aquaculture development helps diversify the seafood system in the United States and make it less vulnerable to outside stressors, while also highlighting data limitations that hinder a more rigorous analysis. Our results suggest that a seafood strategy that focuses on diversity – both within marine aquaculture and by increasing the sector’s contribution to U.S. seafood production – may help achieve a more stable and resilient national seafood industry.