As a New Orleans resident, a student of environmental law and someone who wishes to support her local community, I have deep concerns about the introduction of offshore industrial fish farms to the Gulf of Mexico. Recently I’ve had the chance to talk with local fishermen and chefs about the threats this industry would pose to their livelihoods and to our regional food system.
Industrial fish farming is the major cultivation of fish in marine waters, like the Gulf, in net pens, pods and cages. Such farms are already being planned and receiving permits from our government. They are being introduced by multinational corporations who don’t care about the environmental state of the Gulf or about the people who live and work here.
Fish in these farms swim in their own waste, chemicals and pesticides and cannot live the way they would and should in the wild. So many fish packed tightly together can increase pollution, lead to parasites and disease and reduce oxygen levels in the water.
Southern Louisiana is home to families who have fished the Gulf of Mexico for generations. These fishers have deep knowledge of local fish, waters and ecosystems. If we allow corporations to establish these sea-based factory farms, we will continue to lose Louisiana’s fishers, as they will not be able to afford to keep their boats and businesses running.
The fish being farmed in these pens will likely be sold abroad, given existing global trade patterns. Less fish at higher prices will drive up the cost of fish, until it's impossible to buy locally caught seafood in our favorite local restaurants.
It’s imperative that we put a stop to the planning and approval of these fish farms. If we don’t, we risk losing access to our food, jobs, history, culture and healthy oceans.
CLAIRE DULLE
New Orleans
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May 10, 2023 at 05:00AM
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Letters: Industrial fish farms in Gulf raise her concerns - NOLA.com
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