Developing Sustainable Shellfish Farming in Canada
Decreases in wild fish stocks have been leading to increases in aquaculture, to meet the world’s increasing protein demands.
In British Columbia, shellfish aquaculture is expanding with new technologies and species and contributes significantly to the provincial economy. However, its overall environmental impacts are not yet well known. Concern over these has led to a call for a more ecosystem-based understanding of aquaculture’s effects to ensure the sustainability—ecological, economic and social—of the expanding shellfish aquaculture industry.
Dr. Sarah Dudas, Canada Research Chair in Shellfish Aquaculture Ecosystem Interactions, is examining these effects by applying the resources and knowledge of both academia and industry to local coastal communities.
Dudas will be conducting field studies in the Baynes Sound area of Vancouver Island, an important area within the Georgia Basin Ecosystem that supports 50 per cent of the province's cultured shellfish. Her research will examine the influence of various aquaculture activities, including how aquaculture structures influence parts of the coastal ecosystem in offshore, nearshore and onshore habitats.
Dudas’ longer-term goals are to look at the effects that broader influences, such as climate change, have on marine ecosystems, and to develop monitoring programs that address industry needs. She will also develop an ecosystem model that describes shellfish-ecosystem interactions, including those involving human activities.
The knowledge gained from Dudas’ research will be essential for developing an economically sustainable industry while minimizing environmental impacts. This is particularly important in light of the planned land and marine developments in the region where she is currently working.