Hello James,
This is a complex issue and in a state of flux depending which country you
are in. In the US, there is a Task Force looking into this question. If organic
products are defined by the way that they are grown and produced, this
potentially poses problems for seafood. Crop farmers can control the inputs and
environment (to a degree) of their farm. If they follow organic practices, the
product is considered organic. In the case of wild caught seafood, you can
see why some have raised the issue of whether the product was grown in a
"known" and "controlled" environment. Some have argued that no artificial inputs
were used in growing wild caught fish, while others argue that the fish can be
exposed to environmental toxins and pollutants.
In the case of farm raised fish, there arises the peculiar differentiation
between aquatic and terrestrial livestock. Some argue that net pen reared fish
are in an uncontrolled environment. The issue of using fish meal in feeds
raises questions about sustainability (harvesting fish to grow fish) as well as
the issue of concentrating marine contaminants. In theory, if fish were
reared in a controlled land based system, in a sustainable manner and with
certified organic inputs, this should parallel organic livestock practices. Incident
ally, I am always amazed by people who consider fish farming to be a new
development, when there are cultures that have been rearing fish for centuries
(and arguably organically).
I would suggest that the definition of organic would be better served by
setting standards for the product rather than only the rearing / growing method.
But alas, the organic industry is still in it's infancy in terms of defining
the product attributes that make a product organic.
Alan Ismond, P.Eng.
Aqua-Terra Consultants
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Jul 30 2005 - 17:18:43 PDT