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What Are Mariculture Pollutants?

Mariculture pollutants are dangerous physical side effects of the process of controlled agricultural cultivation of sea life in saltwater areas. These areas inlcude the open ocean, enclosed saltwater habitats, or inland tanks and pools filled with saltwater for the purpose of creating food and non-food products. These products include edible fish, pearls, seaweed and fishmeal. The pollution caused by mariculture is in many ways a mirror for those types of pollutants created by conventional farming operations.

  1. Excretions and Animal Waste

    • One of the key types of waste with mariculture is animal waste. Because agriculture frequently involves maintaining a massive stock of plants or animals in a small area, the waste products created by the plants and animals are extremely concentrated. The result is an increased frequency of fecal disease where animals are raised. This not only affects the other animals in a given mariculture compound, but spreads throughout a region. In open sea mariculture areas, the waste matter spreads throughout the region, affecting not only the farm itself, but wild fisheries. The waste matter also includes unabsorbed pharmaceuticals included with feed, which spread through the local environment.

    Feed Waste

    • In addition to animal waste, mariculture operations commonly have the problem of distributing uneaten feed. This has several effects. The first is that the feed, when released into the local environment, creates an imbalance among the area species. While some species thrive by absorbing or eating the excess food, others are harmed or unaffected. This creates overpopulation in some species, while others are crowded out. Feed frequently also includes pharmaceutical products that endanger local humans and wildlife.

    Pharmaceuticals and Pesticides

    • The release of chemical products is also common with farming operations. In aquaculture and mariculture, it is particularly severe as the products are released directly into a water supply. The danger of pesticides is obvious and direct. As poisons, they create a large amount of damage to local populations in a short amount of time. Pharmaceuticals also pose a threat. Antibiotics are a particular concern as bacteria exposed to small doses of antibiotic material develops resistance to the medicines.

    Other Environmental Concerns With Mariculture

    • Aside from pollutants, mariculture presents a variety of other environmental concerns. This includes the danger of releasing non-native species into the wild, obstruction of marine migratory patterns, destruction of local habitats through overuse and aesthetic pollution. A key example of agricultural introduction of a non-native species is the kudzu plant in the southern United States. It was introduced for soil improvement and preservation, but quickly became a dangerous nuisance by crowding out native plant species. The same occurs in aquatic environments. Habitat destruction occurs through overuse of local resources, including overcrowding and nutrient depletion in aquatic environments. Finally, many people simply dislike seeing cages and fish farms in marine waterways.

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