Aquaculture obstacles, roadmap to growth detailed in new book by George S. Lockwood

Regulations and a negative public image hold back aquaculture in the U.S. even though it’s needed now more than ever, argues aquaculture pioneer George S. Lockwood in a new book published in February.

A former president of the World Aquaculture Society, Lockwood worked in aquaculture for 45 years. He launched Monterey Abalone Farms in 1972 and eventually farmed abalone, salmon, sea urchin and oysters in Hawaii using a technique that pumped water from the deep ocean into on-shore tanks and ponds.

The new book, “Aquaculture: Will it rise to its potential to feed the world?” stems from Lockwood’s experience as an aquaculture entrepreneur and scientist.

Aquaculture is the likely world’s fastest-growing food production industry, surpassing the amount of fish captured from the sea in 2014. When done properly, it can have a lower environmental impact than fishing for wild seafood and farming on land. More of is needed to feed a growing global population, Lockwood argues.

In the U.S., aquaculture is constrained by government regulations that make establishing new aquaculture operations difficult, Lockwood writes. Additionally, aquaculture opponents have planted a negative image in the public’s eye, which influences regulators, consumers and investors, who then withhold capital.

“Do they really mean to discourage consumption of the healthiest foods available with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that are produced in the most environmentally sustainable manner?” Lockwood asks.

Even though the U.S. government has spent USD 100 million (EUR 95 million) per year on aquaculture research – totaling more than USD 1 billion (EUR 949 million) in the last decade – the U.S. still imports 90 percent of farmed seafood consumed in the country. The domestic aquaculture industry remains small, at USD 732 million (EUR 694 million) annual farm revenues, and innovative technology flees overseas.

But there are exceptions to the general aquaculture stagnation in the U.S.: three states have aquaculture production that is 23 times the U.S. average. Lockwood examines why aquaculture in some states and countries has grown, while in others it hasn’t.

Lockwood offers a blueprint for achieving an aquaculture renaissance, recommending a national industry association to lobby Washington, D.C. and more aggressive publicity campaigns, along with establishing a private sector committee to review rules and regulations. He even goes so far as to recommend forming a political action committee to elect aquaculture proponents to Congress.

Lockwood helped found and is a former president of the California Aquaculture Association. He contributed to the National Aquaculture Act (1980) and the California Aquaculture Act (1982), and has served as the chair of the Aquaculture Working Group since 2005.

The book is available on Amazon.

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