Threats to Human Health: Shellfish Farming - Term Paper Example

Selfish farming analysis The trend and need of aquaculture production in the world has grown over the years. Shellfish farming represents a major portion of the world’s fish farming. The continuously increasing demand for the shellfish in different parts of the world has contributed to the extensive harvesting of wide varieties of shellfish across the globe. Since early nineties, the scale and operations of fish farms in general and shellfish farms in particular have increased manifold. This increased production and harvesting of fish, on one hand has met the increasing demand for fish but on the other hand has posed threats to environmental safety. Many countries have made several organizations and associations to keep a check on detrimental effects of fish farming and flourish them in a non-hazardous way. Problems associated with shellfish farming Threats to human health Quality and safety of food is the area concerned by all humans on earth. The importing and exporting countries of food items pay much attention to the issues. For this reason, the owners and workers of shellfish farms need to maintain the quality of products in order to gain the confidence of the consumers. Following are the main hazards to human health, related to the marine shellfish: Bivalves constitute a major part of the category shellfish. These are the animals which feed on phytoplankton (algae). In nutrient enriched environment, phytoplanktons undergo certain blooms. These blooms contain certain intoxicating biological substances that are dangerous for human health. These blooms are often called as red tides. When bivalves eat up these diseased algae, and are in turn consumed by humans, inflict serious threat of mortality. A very popular disease associated with such unhealthy shellfish is Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). ((IRCWD), 1985) Briny, brackish and estuarine waters contain a huge amount of a bacteria called as Vibrio Cholerae. This bacterium is responsible for the causing diarrhea in humans. (M., 1993) Most of the shrimp farms in past were using extensive culture systems. In such a system, the extreme feeding results into pollution problems. All the effluents and the wastes from the ponds are poured into the nearby water stream or any other resource, before or after the harvest period. Most of these wastes are comprised of toxic compounds such as ammonia, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, phosphorus, feces and clay particles. The quantity of effluents is greater than the biological capability of degradation of such materials. As a consequence, the excessive eutrophication and dilapidation of natural environment occurs. (C. P. C. David, 2009) Pollution due to shellfish farming: The environmental impacts of shellfish fish farming are less detrimental than the fish farming in general, however, because of the large area occupied by them around the coasts, the likelihood of harm has increased. (environmental effects) The shellfish farming on industrial scale are a great source of trash and debris that affect the marine waters and beaches adversely. This waste results from Styrofoam breakdown, plastic string, plastic trays, plastic tubing (for growing shellfish), netting and other equipments. Other problems of noise and air pollution also result due to the use of heavy machinery and paraphernalia in or near the residential areas. Effects of industrial operations in or near residential areas: In the past, shellfish farms were owned and operated by the local people. There was no specialized equipment used by them. The only machinery that was used was boats owned by them. No heavy machinery (for example cranes, generators or structures) was used. However, with the industrialization and mechanization of farming, the sensitive sites such as bays and beaches became the target locations for the purpose. (environmental effects) Industrial-scale shellfish operations produce copious quantities of debris that foul ocean waters and beaches. These operations produce large amounts of debris from Styrofoam breakdown, plastic string, plastic trays, plastic tubing (for growing shellfish), netting and other equipments. Noise, and air, and visual pollution from power machinery and structures in residential and recreational areas create additional problems. These areas were inhabited by the local fishermen, small shellfish farmers, tourists, boaters and residents. The industrialization of farming has contributed to the conflicts and issues between local communities and industrialists. The major issue was the fight over limited resources of coastal areas. A competition between the fulfillment and needs of the farming industry and other people exists and wants appropriate allocation of sites and resources. This is major effect of establishing shellfish farms in coastal areas, the limitation of resources and sites provide a major problem to the owners and new establishers. Environmental effects Excessive shellfish farming can result in the following effects on environment: The sedimentation can occur at twice the prevailing rate due to shellfish rafts that are responsible for the reduction in water flow by 50%. Eelgrass, an important weed for the most of the fish living in marine environment is adversely affected by all kinds of oyster cultures. One raft is responsible for creating 16metric tons of feces per year. "Within 6 months after the start of culture, brittle stars had disappeared and species originally dominant decreased in number and finally disappeared after 15 months" "Raft biodeposition reduced benthic macro fauna biomass to 5-15% of that of reference sites"; and "The presence of densely-stocked oyster parks produce anoxic conditions. As a result, macro faunal abundance decreased by nearly 50%" The protection of cultivated species from the harmful ones by using nets on rafts also proves to be harmful alterations and destruction. (environmental effects) Economical impacts: Previously, the small scale fisheries had existed and contributed to the economy of the country. The industrialization, on one hand has helped economy to a greater extent and on the other hand has affected adversely the existing businesses and economic interests. The areas covered by the large farms are much greater than small setups. The pollution and other factors of these large farms curb the business of not the small fishermen but the boaters and tourist resorts. The expansion of these fishing farms to a large area on the coasts prevents the tourists from coming to these places. The use of bays and coasts for the recreational use gets limited due to such activities. This minimizes the eco-marine tourism and destroys the natural marine heritage of the area. Navigational hindrances The strings that support the shellfish rafts and the long linking lines used for them are too small to be clearly visible from a distance. They usually hang above the surface of the water at a distance of few meters. This and other such equipments pose a great hazard to the local boaters. Moreover rebar nets and other paraphernalia is impedimental to local tourists and boaters. Figure 1- boat among rafts Limitation of problems All the above mentioned problems are not confined to one place or locality. Rather these problems are widespread in nature and can occur anywhere in the world. The shellfish farms, wherever they are located, come across such problems. Whether it is referred to the hazards on human health and hygiene or the effects on the environment or economy, all fish farms contribute to them. Stakeholders involved in the Shellfish farming Two types of entities are identifies as the stakeholders in the aquaculture industry according to food and agricultural organization. These two categories are primary stakeholders and the secondary stakeholders. Primary Stakeholders: Following is the list of primary stakeholders involved in the aquaculture industry. (Sen, 2008) Aqua culturists Processors, wholesalers and retailers Seed, bloodstocks producers and suppliers Feed manufacturer and supplier Drug, chemical and equipment manufacturer and supplier Fishers, farmers and other residents adjacent to the fish farm site Other water resource users Government and policy makers about aquaculture, agriculture, fisheries and coastal zones Government aqua culturists Researchers (universities and government) Financial and technical investors (banks, donor, government and sponsor) Extension agents (government and private) Secondary stakeholders The list of secondary stakeholders to the aquaculture industry; (Sen, 2008) Consumer groups Environmental groups that represent the interest of people Exporters Customer officers Tourism organizations Forestry organizations Adjacent landowners Fishers Laws and enforcements by the regulatory bodies: The government and regulatory bodies, particularly the department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) put specific obligations and rules from the authorization of farm to the export and import of fish. Laws regarding various steps of selfish farming are explained below (food and farming): Authorization of farms According to Aquatic Animal Health regulations of 2009 for England and Wales, every fish and shellfish farm in any area requires authorization. These farms are now known as Aquaculture production business. Previously, the farms needed to be registered. The authorization requires the owner or the operator to keep record and maintain the environmental security standards, as declared by the governmental bodies. The authorization prevents the multiplication of hazards and diseases. This authorization takes place before the operation at the farms starts. For this purpose, AW1 form has to be filled and submitted to the Fish health Inspectorate (FHI). The farm requires details about the types of species to be cultures, the number and other details about the holding facilities and location of the farm. Any change regarding ownership, species or any facilities must be communicated to the FHI. Several and Regulatory orders Several orders are those which protect the independent or private fisheries. These orders are aimed at improvement and establishment of fisheries. However, regulatory orders control the use and operation of shellfisheries, aimed at the management of natural shellfisheries. In England, Shellfisheries are controlled by these orders from British secretary of state under the sea fisheries act of 1967, which is modifies to some extent. (food and farming) Trade regulations The regulations for trade of fish fall under the following categories (food and farming); Intra-community trade and trade with third countries: (imports) For importing live shellfish, importers must be authorized from FHI. Only those importers that import fish for immediate human consumption are exempted from this requirement. This authorization is required to define the minimum standards that must be followed by the importers. Standards involve record keeping, certification etc. Certain certifications involve health and hygiene certifications etc. All kinds of trade taking place with the non EU countries is required to be inspected on border through border inspected post. All kinds of consignments are monitored by the fish health inspectors, where there is any discrepancy in the documentation is observed. Furthermore, the import of endangered species requires additional documentation. Similarly, import of controlled species and their use requires special permissions and implementation of certain limitations. Exports (to the European Union): the movement across the member states of EU is monitored by the Fish health legislation. The purpose of this legislation is to stop the spreading of fish disease etc. the certification is given or rewarded upon two conditions; the shellfish or fish species and the condition of disease in the country to which the fish is being exported. Furthermore, the FHI advises the party or the client in relation to their specific case. Export (outside the EU): to export the live shellfish outside UK, one has to meet the requirements and criteria of the receiving country. The exporters can do this either by contacting the embassies of the relevant countries or by contacting respective department or ministries of the governments of those countries. All requisites in the form of documentation and certifications must be cleared. Fish farm wastes and by products Fisheries in England must follow the regulations set by the Defra about wastes and their disposal. The Animal By-Products Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 1482) implements these regulations in England. Through these laws, every fishery should discard its waste materials by rendering or ignition. Certain types of waste material can also be got rid off by composting it. However, for general disposal, the method of burial is not acceptable. In some cases when the incineration of the waste products become difficult or becomes over costly, for instance when the waste material is too scattered to gather, the Defra provides other methods for proper disposal of these wastes. Aquaculture waste research and development working group is formed by Defra to conduct research on the routes of disposal of this waste material. References (IRCWD), I. R. (1985). Health aspects of wastewater and excreta use in agriculture and aquaculture: the Engelberg Report. Bardack, J. E. (1997). sustainable Auaculture. John willey and sons. Brown, J. G. (1987). The effect of salmon farming on the benthos of a Scottish sea loch. . Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology , 109. C. P. C. David, Y. Y. (2009). Coastal pollution due to increasing nutrient flux in aquaculture sites Environmental Geology. environmental geology , 447-454. CHUA THIA ENG, P. J. (n.d.). The environmental impact of aquaculture and the effects of pollution on coastal aquaculture development in Southeast Asia. Marine pollution bulletin , 335-343. Dalsgaard A., H. H.-K. (1995). Prevalence of Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella in a major shrimp production area in Thailand. Int. J. Food Microbiol. , 101-113. environmental effects. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2010, from the association for responsible shellfish farming: http://www.responsibleshellfishfarming.ca/maintable.htm food and farming. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2010, from Department for environmnet food and rural affairs: http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/fisheries/farm-health/info.htm Grant, J. H. (19955). A multidisciplinary approach to evaluating impacts of shellfish aquaculture on benthic communities. Estuaries , 124-144. imports and exports. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2010, from efishbusiness: http://www.efishbusiness.co.uk/exports/default.asp M., A. T. (1993). Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning in Algal toxins in seafood and drinking water. Acedemic press London , 87-104. MJ Phillips, M. B. (1991). Impact of aquaculture on water resources. Advances in World Aquaculture . Myersa, M. L., & Colea, H. P. (2009). Simple Solutions for Reduced Fish Farm Hazards. Journal of Agromedicine , 150 - 156. S. Chinabut, T. S. (n.d.). Problems associated with shellfish farming. Sen, S. (2008). Involving Stakeholders in Aquaculture . Retrieved June 25, 2010, from Foof and asgriculture organization: http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/ab412e/ab412e32.htm Read More