The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has carried out a global assessment to identify the potential for offshore mariculture development in regions where land, near-shore space and freshwater is limited.
The FAO says it carried out the assessment because there is a growing need to transfer land based and coastal aquaculture production systems farther offshore to increase the availability of fish and fishery products.
For the first time, the new FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, A global assessment of potential for offshore mariculture development from a spatial perspective, provides measures for development in all maritime countries. It also identifies countries that do not yet practise mariculture but have high offshore potential.
National level offshore potential is compared for Atlantic salmon, cobia, blue mussel and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA).
The assessment reveals that there is much unrealised offshore potential for the three species and IMTA offshore of farming areas in nations where the culture of these species is already established.
It aims to stimulate interest in detailed reviews of offshore mariculture potential on a “national level”.
For more information visit www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3100e/i3100e00.htm
