USA
BY VINCE MCDONAGH
Open minds
Americans could be ready to give aquaculture a cautious welcome
F
OR a people renowned for enterprise and innova�on, especially in food produc�on, Americans have been surprisingly ambivalent about the benefits of aquaculture. Alaskans don’t want it in their backyard and the majority of US consumers prefer to eat wild-caught salmon rather than the farmed variety. At best Congress remains lukewarm despite industry pressure. Ranked at number 17 on a global scale, the United States remains a minor player in aquaculture, preferring to import most of its seafood. Much of what it produces itself in aquaculture is not finfish such as salmon, but farmed oysters, mussels and clams. However, according to a recent na�onwide poll conducted by the highly respected Environmental Defence Fund (EDF), US consumers could be ready to embrace more home-grown produc�on. EDF, which began when an ad hoc group of scien�sts got together in the 1960s to save the osprey from the toxic pes�cide DDT, is now one of the world’s leading environmental organisa�ons. It periodically turns its a�en�on to various aspects of American life as it affects the natural world. The poll, conducted by Benenson Strategy Group, surveyed 800 registered voters na�onwide from 9 July to 15 July 2021. The margin of sampling error
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was plus or minus 3.4% at the 95% confidence interval. EDF says the poll included registered voters “because they elect the decision-makers on these issues and tend to be the main focus for Congress and state legislatures across the country.” Nearly 70% of the respondents who eat seafood were concerned about where it originates. Nearly 90% of voters were in favour of increasing regula�on, se�ng higher standards for seafood, making seafood more sustainable for the long term and reducing the environmental harms that can result from fish farming. About 73% said they were likely to eat more seafood if it was raised or caught in the US and 71% were likely to increase their consump�on if it came from sources proven to be sustainable. The Environmental Defence Fund says Americans import more than 85% of all the seafood they eat, of which more than half is farmed. It o�en comes from countries that lack strong standards for safety, environmental protec�on and other issues, which probably goes unno�ced by many consumers. The poll did raise serious concerns about foreign
Left: Fish farmer Below left: Pacific white shrimp Below: Cascade Locks Hatchery, Oregon Opposite from top: Fish farmer checks tank; a seafood feast; Fish Springs Hatchery, California
www.fishfarmermagazine.com
13/09/2021 15:34:09
