The European Greens note that the salmon and trout farming industries of today present a number of ecological problems, including: a) feed wastage and faeces leading to over-fertilisation and algae growth,
b) use of chemicals such as diflubenzuron and teflubenzuron, which cause harm to wildlife and the environment, and possibly pose a risk to human health,
c) spread of diseases and sea lice,
d) escaping farmed salmon, decimating and threatening to even eradicate wild salmon populations,
e) overharvesting of wild fish for use as fodder
Sustainable aquaculture can be a valuable resource and a source of income for rural communities, but the salmon and trout farming industries today pose an ecological threat in a number of countries, including – but not exclusively– Norway, Scotland, Canada and Chile. In addition, the degradation of the wild fish population causes problems for traditional fisheries, as well as damaging the cultural heritage of coastal populations in various parts of the world.
Therefore, the European Green Party supports:
a) a push for increased research on and increased usage of closed containment fish farming, and funding for such facilities.
b) stricter standards for aquaculture, in regards to animal welfare, feed usage and waste handling,
c) implementation of much stricter standards on the use of chemicals in the fish farming industry,
d) promotion of aquaculture based on herbivore rather than carnivore fish,
e) a lower number of fish farms in vulnerable ecological areas, for instance enclosed fjords,
f) the prohibition of feeding fish populations in captivity with fisheries from natural populations.
The European Green Party furthermore points out the need to move towards aquaculture based on organic principles, and calls on the European Union, its member countries and other countries – notably Norway, Canada and Chile - to strongly promote aquaculture based on such principles.
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