A review of opportunities, technical constraints and future needs of offshore mariculture – temperate waters

This paper reviews the status, investment and market considerations, and technical constraints to the development of offshore aquaculture in temperate regions of the world. It explores trends in production and discusses the importance of farming seafood products that are “affordable” if they are going to meet mass-market demand. In this respect, it notes that there are relatively few dominant (i.e. one million metric tonne/year) species and speculates on why this might be so. It reviews technical constraints to the future development of offshore aquaculture, among them engineering and operational challenges, questions of species selection, juvenile supply, aquatic animal health issues and the availability of suitable feed ingredients. It also considers issues of predator control, environmental impact and the critical importance of adequately trained people. It concludes by suggesting that offshore marine aquaculture will only develop to its full potential if enthusiasm for the idea is backed by an equal measure of political will. By presenting a long-range vision for this, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) can help society to understand its benefits and make a case for it that cannot be denied.