- Environmental impact: Mariculture can have a negative impact on the environment, including:
- Pollution from fish waste and uneaten food
- Habitat destruction
- Spread of disease
- Competition with wild fish for food and resources
- Accumulation of heavy metals and other toxins in the environment
- Disease: Mariculture operations are susceptible to disease outbreaks, which can cause significant economic losses. Some of the most common diseases that affect farmed fish include:
- Bacterial infections
- Viral infections
- Parasitic infections
- Fungal infections
- Escapes: Farmed fish can escape from their enclosures and interbreed with wild fish, which can have a negative impact on the genetic diversity of wild fish populations. Escaped fish can also compete with wild fish for food and resources.
- High cost of production: Mariculture operations can be expensive to set up and operate. This includes the cost of:
- Fish feed
- Equipment
- Labor
- Permits
- Insurance
- Market competition: Farmed fish face competition from wild-caught fish in the marketplace. This competition can drive down prices for farmed fish and make it difficult for mariculture operations to be profitable.
- Food safety concerns: Some farmed fish may contain high levels of contaminants, such as heavy metals and pesticides. This can pose a health risk to consumers.