The new edition will examine the aquaculture industry’s direct and indirect impact on the ocean and best practices to alleviate the sector’s pressures on the marine environment.

Today, about 50 per cent of aquatic food consumed by people is farmed, and aquaculture is projected to provide two-thirds of the global seafood supply destined for human consumption by 2030. Given the rising importance of the sector, it is essential to ensure that aquaculture operations are conducted in a sustainable manner.

Have you ever considered how the aquaculture industry affects the marine ecosystem?

Here are the main highlights from our report:

• The construction of aquaculture farms can cause the loss and/or degradation of habitats, mainly affecting mangrove forests and salt marsh ecosystems in coastal areas.

• The use of wild fish stock to produce feed for farmed species can contribute to the disruption of food webs and the depletion of fish stocks due to overfishing.

• Farmed fish can accidentally escape and end up directly in the surrounding water environments contributing to biological pollution as they can transmit parasites, pathogens and diseases and displace other species.