By Melissa Deng*

In my experience, when discussing strategies for combating food insecurity, the conversation often starts with land.  However, discourse around aquaculture, defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as “the farming of aquatic organisms, such as fish, shellfish (bivalves and crustaceans)…and aquatic plants,” has increased amidst concerns of commercial overfishing and finding sustainable protein sources.  As the aquaculture industry continues to grow, fueled by expectations that industrial aquaculture could be the innovative food practice that solves our protein source woes, so does the need for regulation.  Without comprehensive federal regulation of aquaculture, the growing concerns surrounding aquaculture’s practice––including antibiotic use, pollution, and deleterious impact on wild gene pool––may continue leaving the emerging industry in troubled waters. 

Continue reading “Casting Wide, Netting Little: The Reel Problem of Aquaculture Regulation” →