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For 3 billion people around the world,

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seafood provides a significant source [br]of protein and nutrition.

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But recent studies show that 33% of wild [br]fisheries are overfished,

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while another 60% are fished at their [br]maximum capacity.

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In fact, over half the seafood we eat–

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from finfish and shellfish to [br]seaweed and algae–

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isn’t caught in the wild.

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It’s grown through aquaculture, [br]or aquatic farming.

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Farmed seafood is one of the [br]fastest-growing food industries,

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expanding in volume by 5.8% each year.

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But different methods of aquaculture come [br]with different advantages and issues–

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some of which echo the serious problems [br]we’ve seen in industrial agriculture.

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So how can we avoid repeating the mistakes[br]we’ve made on land, at sea?

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What aquaculture approaches are we [br]currently using,

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and what does a sustainable way [br]to farm the ocean really look like?

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One of the most common aquaculture [br]methods involves large pens made of nets,

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where fish are farmed offshore in floating[br]cages roughly 1000 square meters in size.

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Commonly employed off the coast of Chile[br]and in the fjords of Norway,

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these fish, like many industrially [br]farmed animals,

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occupy stressful, overcrowded pens.

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They produce massive amounts of waste,

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polluting the surrounding areas

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and potentially spreading diseases[br]to wild species.

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Worse still, since the antibiotics [br]employed to fight disease

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aren’t fully absorbed by the fish,

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they get excreted back [br]into the environment.

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Net pens are also susceptible to escapes,

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unleashing huge numbers of fish which [br]compete for resources

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and weaken the local gene pool [br]with genes adapted for captivity.

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Escaped fish can even disrupt local [br]ecosystems as invasive species.

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Other techniques,

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such as man-made coastal ponds commonly[br]used for shrimp farming in Southeast Asia,

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create additional environmental problems.

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Just like net pens, these ponds are prone[br]to spreading pollution and disease.

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Their construction also frequently [br]destroys important ecosystems

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like mangroves and marshes,

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which protect coastal areas from storms,

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provide habitats, and absorb tons [br]of greenhouse gases.

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One way to solve these problems is to farm[br]fish on land

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in completely contained systems.

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Tanks and raceways can recirculate and [br]filter water to prevent pollution.

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But even fully contained facilities still [br]contend with another major hurdle:

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fishmeal.

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About 10% of the seafood caught globally[br]is used to feed animals,

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including carnivorous farmed fish.

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Researchers are working on fish feed made [br]of insects and plant-based proteins,

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but for now many inland fish farms [br]are connected to overfishing.

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All these obstacles can make sustainable [br]aquaculture feel a long way off,

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but innovative farmers are finding new [br]ways to responsibly farm the seas.

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The most promising solution of all [br]may be to look lower on the food chain.

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Instead of cramming large, carnivorous [br]fish into pens,

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we can work with natural ocean systems

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to produce huge amounts of shellfish [br]and seaweeds.

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These low-maintenance flora and fauna [br]don’t need to be fed at all.

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In fact, they naturally improve [br]water quality,

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filtering it as they feed off of sunlight [br]and nutrients in the seawater.

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By absorbing carbon through [br]photosynthesis,

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these farms help battle climate change,

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and reduce local ocean acidification

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while creating habitats for other [br]species to thrive.

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Shifting to restorative ocean farming

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could provide good jobs for [br]coastal communities,

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and support healthy plant and [br]shellfish-based diets

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that have an incredibly [br]low carbon footprint.

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In just 5 months,

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4,000 square meters of ocean can [br]produce 25 tons of seaweed

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and 250,000 of shellfish.

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With the right distribution network,

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a series of small farms, collectively [br]the size of Washington State

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could feed the planet.

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Farms like these are already popping up[br]around the globe,

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and a new generation of farmers is [br]stepping up

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to pursue a more sustainable future.

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Done properly,

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regenerative ocean farming could play[br]a vital role in helping our oceans,

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our climate, and ourselves.