| English | The aquaculture industry in North America is a relative newcomer in the agricultural sector and has become well established in the last 25 years. Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are the two major species cultured. The governments of Canada and the United States of America support the continued expansion of the aquaculture sector and are engaged with the industry to facilitate this development. At the same time there is a strong sentiment within the industry that regulatory agencies should take a much more proactive role to eliminate overlapping jurisdictions, resolve conflicting mandates and establish clear guidelines for industry expansion. A significant constraint to future aquaculture development is public concern about environmental risks associated with aquaculture, the safety of aquacultured products, and the potential impact of fish farms on marine ecosystems. The industry is responding to these concerns with the development of best management practices and environmental codes of practice to insure the long-term sustainability of land based, coastal and offshore aquaculture systems. Current production technology and the extensive environmental regulatory processes in place in Canada and the USA are effective in preventing these concerns from becoming problems. The document analyses the state and the trends in aquaculture development over the past few years in the North American region. |
