Technology-driven Sustainable Aquaculture for Eco-tourism

Abstract – Aquaculture farming provides an avenue to grow food fish for the table in the face of rapid depletion of fish stock around the world due to over fishing. However, traditional aquaculture farming has been largely dependent upon the environment and has also not addressed its waste management issues adequately to make it sustainable in the longer term.

There has been increasing reports of widespread diseases or even fish deaths from the deterioration of water quality or pollution. This pollution may be from the farming activity itself or from external sources through natural or man-made incidents. This has created concerns over food safety as companies use more and more antibiotics to treat the diseases. There is also a concern over the spread of diseases from escaped farmed fish from the open net pens into the wild. All these issues need to be addressed to ensure the continued viability of aquaculture farming as a critical food source.

This paper seeks to address the issues, through the application of technology for cost effective and sustainable aquaculture farming without polluting the environment. The system provides a perfect platform for the implementation of Circular Economies through Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture.

Faced with the current increasing negative perception due to food safety concerns, it is proposed that eco-tourism opportunities be exploited to promote the adoption of these technologies as well as to further public awareness and education in this industry. It is also hoped that this will spur more research and development for further improvements.