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Call for questions: AQUACULTURE (Patreon)

Published:
2025-05-13 02:25:19
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Next up: an interview with a marine ecologist and conservationist who studies and analyzes aquaculture -- the farming of aquatic plants and animals. He assesses both freshwater and seawater systems with a focus on sustainability and the improvement of ocean conditions.

What questions do you have on aquaculture?

Deadline: Thursday, May 15 at 5pm PST

Comments

Adam Weaver

How damaging is the pet trade industry to aquatic ecosystems? I've heard that many saltwater fish in the pet trade are completely wild caught.

Annie

What are some of the key characteristics of sustainable, restorative, and regenerative aquaculture? How sustainable is farmed Atlantic salmon?

Lily

I’d love to hear about indigenous and ancient examples of aquaculture. Also how do modern systems lean on these time tested traditions and where do modern systems look to nature in a form of biomimicry?

Tessa Lew

does putting farm raised fish into a wild fish population harm the wildfish? even if its to restore the population?

Chris Lipford

To put it lightly: How fucked are we as a planet from climate change, and can you save us?

Batty

How do aquaculturists (aqua farmers? what’s the word I’m looking for here?) monitor and prevent disease transmission especially between farmed and wild populations?

Sean O'Shea

What’s the deal with kelp pickles? Is it still sustainable if they have to be shipped from Alaska to Chicago?

Mykenzie King

I essentially had the same question!!

Leo Chiang

Is it more climate friendly and nutritionally advantageous to drastically increase our consumption of sea vegetables as opposed to land vegetables?

Seán Thomas Kane

I'm Catholic and eating fish, especially cod, on Fridays in Lent is a deep cultural thing. How sustainable is this practice, especially further from the oceans?

Erin White

OMG YES FINALLY. the closest we've gotten so far to Alie doing my dream episode on oysters <3 1: Can you please talk about the no-fish protected zones and how they work/how we can get more of them/how they help? 2: Oysters: aquacultural saviours of the planet, or overhyped?

Kelly Shaver

What is with farming oysters along side sugar kelp?

Rita Hueston

First time question asker with a special interest in this subject!! What are the challenges with large-scale aquaponics/hydroponics? It seems to me that a public aquarium-sized fish farm with plants on the filtration systems would create a large amount of food, so why isn't it widespread?

Yasmine Alu

Could it ever be a sustainable replacement for commercial fishing? Like is it really that much better for ocean ecosystems? Also like what’s the deal w all the fish getting lice? Are farmed fish of same nutritional value as wild caught because I’ve heard they get different feed and stuff?

Yasmine Alu

Always wondered if it would be possible to create a fish farm that simulates an ecosystem — including different animals at different trophic levels like filter feeders, small fish, and bigger fish — and would that be at all effective or more sustainable ?

mish the fish

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD. i know oyster farming is sustainable but farmed salmon has a lot of issues. what kinds of seafood are more sustainable and how can i identify them? what about seafood replacements made of kelp? do they deplete the kelp or are they able to do it nicely?

Yasmine Alu

Which is better for the environment — off shore or on shore fish farms? Are they good for different purposes?

Yasmine Alu

How disruptive are offshore fish farms to their surrounding environment? like I’ve heard abt larger marine mammals getting caught in nets and stuff

Kelly Shaver

How local does sustainably farmed seafood and kelp have to be sold to stay sustainable? How much shipping is too much?

the ren you know

what are the pros and cons of aquaculture vs the meat industry? I'm vegetarian, and already against the meat industry, but I'm wondering how aquaculture is an eco-friendly/sustainable alternative.

Aurora Cullen

Freshwater field biologist here, how the f*** do we get rid of invasive cattails????

Kelly Shaver

What are the risks of habitat damage and distraction?

Kathleen Regovich

How do you become an aquaculturalist? (asking on my partner's behalf)

the ren you know

is aquaculture more successful from the food source perspective or the recovery/conservation perspective?

Aaron Marks

I am told that every time I eat an oyster I save the planet a little bit. Is that true?

Kelly Shaver

What are the risks of farmed animals escaping and interacting with wild populations?

Kelly Shaver

What kind of plants besides kelp are being farmed?

Kim Greiner

Are monocultures dangerous as they are with land farming?

Etienne

I recently learned that in BC. Canada (and probably down the coast into the US as well) Herring are fished now primarily to be made into food for Salmon farms and this is continuing the overfishing of herring. How can we make aquaculture more sustainable without damaging the upstream ecosystems?

the ren you know

Would you consider aquaculture that relies on wild-caught fish for feed unsustainable from the beginning? Considering one benefit of aquaculture is lessening the strain on wild populations?

the ren you know

Are there specific aquaculture plants and fish that can be grown together and harvested individually for consumption? Are most aquatic plants used for habitat and food, or are they grown for human consumption?

Wandering Wyatt

I did my graduate work on Indigenous Clam Gardens on the west coast of Canada. Would love to hear about other examples!

Jazzercize

Which is better for the environment - in sea or in tank aquaculture?

Wandering Wyatt

I don’t have a unique question but have heard so much about the good vs bad so super keen to heard this episode!

Jazzercize

How can you solve the nitrogen problem of farming fish in the sea (eg fish poo sinking)?

Jazzercize

Can you trust sustainable farming labels on canned fish?

Jazzercize

Why does everyone eat tilapia? It’s not tasty

Barchaeologist

Could the Chesapeake Bay ever be cleaned up with oyster farms?

Jaqi McCarthy

Please talk about certification organizations and labels! Which are trusted and which are shady?

Alyssa Erika

I am just so excited for this! Just began learning about this in school! I’m studying sustainable engineering in San Diego, I hope I get to meet you both someday so much. Thank you for all you do.

Chuck Meriam

As gardening could be compared to terrestrial farming, is there a good small scale equivalent to aquaculture farming?

Agegamon

I've heard that seaweed farms and aquaculture in general are so much more common in Asia. So, yeah, just, all the things seaweed. Is it actually carbon-negative? How viable is it to farm in other regions (Americas, Europe, Africa, more?) Can we incorporate it into our foodstream in better ways? Considering what I see in the grocery store here in Portland OR it consists mainly of seaweed chili crisps, nori, or things only sold in ethnic markets. It feels like we could use it more.

She Purple

Agreed. Home aquaculture: possible?

ariel.vanzandt

Does Aquaculture do any sort of disease surveillance in the water, plants, or animals?

Deli Dames

Is it bad when the farmed salmon are super orange?

ariel.vanzandt

How can we be more responsible consumers of products that may come from aquaculture? What are some things we should consider?

ariel.vanzandt

Kelp farming seems to be a contentious topic. Why? Is it good? Is it bad? Is there a middle ground?

Jacob Shepherd

How do you know when a farming situation is good or bad for sustainability? What’s the most sustainable way to eat seafood? Or is there even a sustainable way?

Nanette Westhof

How do you deal with treating diseases in aquaculture?

Sid

Best low-tech tank setups for an apartment? I am obsessed with aquariums but don’t think I have the space or time for a big investment

Ettegoom

Can we have aquaculture without mangrove forest/estuary destruction?

Scott Hanley

Scotland’s salmon fisheries are reportedly very dirty, not raising good salmon, and contributing to oceanic pollution, is this true, and if so what would you change to make salmon farming better?

Dana

Is there a way to make a build-your-own aquaculture setup? Like the way I see people set up their own little terrariums?

Esther Eline

Considering the significant risks posed by non-native species introductions in marine ecosystems, what decisive steps should scientists and policymakers take to accurately distinguish between invasive species that actively drive ecosystem change and those that are simply present, especially when the long-term consequences remain uncertain?

Cat Baklarz

Okay okay so from the book Four Fish by Paul Greenberg, we know that there's a lot of supermarket species that are just not sustainable seafood choices. And we know that there are a lot of alternatives that would be easier to farm, but the market is just not there yet. This administration not withstanding, why hasn't this been a priority? I imagine that we're putting work into heat resistant crops, why not put subsidies into easier to grow fish?

Cat Baklarz

Many fish need a lot more space than you'd think, but if you like snails you could probably get a snail and a 2 gallon. I had a snail in college and they were a cutie.

Cat Baklarz

And talk about how we are shipping wild salmon in trucks so they can migrate it's crazzzzy

Cat Baklarz

I'm not in it but I know someone taking an aquaculture certification at Santa Monica community college and they literally have two classes on this, one for microbiology and one for common diseases and treatments

Naomi Jane

I read a lot of sci-fi fiction, and seaweed tends to be the post-meat dystopian earth choice of nutrition. How likely is this, should it be something we aim for, or is it a worst case scenario?

Nathan Marion

Is the seaweed we eat “farm grown” or wild?

Kristin 🦦

So many from our little family! 1. What has social media/gen z done for the improvement/exposure of aquaculture as a whole? 2. Do people who don’t eat fish really help the environment / should we all just not eat fish then if it does? 3. Literally what is going on with coral farming? Like how does it work and how much of an impact is it having on the environment? 4. Is it true that orca’s have learned that certain fishing boats have fish on them and have been sinking them for fun? 5. What is the difference between farmed salmon and wild caught and what effect does it have on our bodies and diets?

rachel

My main question is ARE YOU HIRING? As a divemaster, I would love to get involved with this project- my actual dream- but previously have found it hard to find and get involved with similar things (like coral gardening, etc!) My second question is, how do ocean projects like this work? What I mean is, since nobody owns the ocean- to my understanding- how do projects like this get the authorization to work in underwater areas? Are there communities of divers that decide, or is it a government level decision? I'm asking because since there are not many projects like this in my area, I'm curious what it would take to start this - if it's something that non-scientists like myself can learn without messing with the ecosystem?

rachel

Since people are mentioning fiction books - how possible is the ideally lifestyle of the captain and crew from 50,000 Leauges Under the Sea? They made everything from the sea, and it was very scientific language- I believed it haha. How realistic from a scientific perspective would it be to live this harmoniously with the ocean?

Ursula Goodwin

What change would you make to make the fishery industry more sustainable? Change in fishing methods? Increasing protected areas? And how can we enforce fishery restrictions when people are out in the middle of the ocean?

Faith Stemmler

I second this question! I also have another... does seagrass and seaweed reforestation contribute to the health and yields of marine and estuarine fish stocks?

Charlotte Short

What’s the deal with land-based aquaculture? Good thing? Bad thing? It seems like a benefit to keep farmed fish away from the natural environment, but also seems like it would use up a ton of water resources, for example.

Christina Samela

Hecka questions incoming - love you Alie! What are the top environmental and social issues with unsustainable aquaculture? Has aquaculture become more sustainable over the last few decades, or are practices pretty much the same? How does environmental policy regulate and enforce regs? Who has jurisdiction over farms in the ocean? Do different countries/cultures favor aquaculture vs traditional fishing? Is that changing as 'big aquaculture' grows? When buying fish at the grocery store, what should I look for to know it was caught sustainably? Quick shout-out to my aquaculture-focused high school - The Sound School - in New Haven, CT :)

Louis Reynolds

Farmed salmon are harming wild stocks of disappearing wild salmon. I am not convinced that we can regulate this by consumer action - people will eat the cheapest salmon (by and large). How do we make the farmed salmon industry pay the environmental cost of farming salmon - or just plain stop it?

Alannah Wood

Can aquaculture be more sustainable than wild caught? It seems quite redundant to catch wild fish, grind them into meal and feed them to captive fish. I am in Australia and there is alot of controversy around the salmon farming in Tasmania.

Andy Pepper

How much of the future of aquaculture is actually on land? I know there are people farming shrimp and tilapia outdoors in the desert, and American Unagi is farming eels indoors in Maine. Which is all super cool!

Nicole Lacey

What is the biggest barrier to sustainable aquaculture?

Chris Curious

I live in the Great Lakes region and have always wondered why all our edible seaweed comes from the ocean. Are there any varieties that can be grown in the "inland seas"?

Olivier Calas

We hear mostly horror stories about fish farms especially when it comes to salmon which is done on a mega industrial scale. I have seen one in Chile and it is not a pretty sight (sick fish). Is there potential improvements in the near future?

Una T

Are some sunscreens really dangerous for oceans? Or are other cosmetics/household products dangerous for oceans or our local aquatic systems?

Melanie Metzger

Do we truly have a chance of reversing the course and saving our oceans?

Shayla Borger

I work at a pet store and I see a lot of cat and dog foods that are fish-based and many of them will state that the fish are wild-caught. They say that as though it is a good thing. Why is it advertised like it is a better product? Is it actually healthier than lab-grown / captive-bred fish? Or is it more of that "organic" fad? I assume that it would have a negative environmental impact if it is using natural resources (wildlife / ocean life). Thoughts?

Shayla Borger

Another question / line of questioning: how can you tell when something is ACTUALLY making things better in terms of an eco-friendly product, or when it is greenwashing? And are there any things that one would think is good but is actually harmful?

Shayla Borger

and one more topic, sorry (but also not really). AI, specifically generative AI like ChatGPT. I know that it consumes a LOT of energy as well as freshwater. what are your thoughts on this issue? In terms of the amount of water consumed, do you think that it will stay about the same, increase, or decrease over time as people unfortunately continue to use ChatGPT "for fun"? I know that, by nature of the technology, the output continues to improve and become more efficient with use. Is the negative impact of its use also becoming less extreme (tho still bad) compared to what it was about a year or so ago when it was first becoming more mainstream? Or is it still, like, BAD bad?

Erin Everton

My opinion on aquaculture operations is pretty mixed at the moment. A lot of them just seem like fish and shellfish CAFOs, but I can clearly see ways to do it right. What steps is the industry taking to improve its environmental impact? Somewhat related, what can we learn from indigenous peoples about how to sustainably grow and harvest seafood?

Meagan Walker

Is there a way of farming fish that doesn’t mess with local ecosystems or pass on pathogens?

Han the Bee

I have seen several examples of aquaculture on a small scale - mostly in educational settings where the goal of the model is to explain the "closed loop" of the ecosystem. Is it possible to create sustainable small scale aquaculture that could be used to feed communities? Is there future where we can find the bounty of community aquaculture at our local co-ops or farmers markets?

Matt Thompson

How bad is salmon farming really? I see back and forth on benefits and problems and I'm curious if it is as bad or great as different groups say.

Magsaroni

Are there any truly sustainable seafoods? If you eat seafood, what do you eat? How much do you trust the reporting of seafood sources? Also - the pet trade! Can you talk about the sustainability/harm of the exotic fish market and how (or if) that is related to aquaculture?

Erin Everton

I also have the same question for this guest as I do for the seaweed guest :P how common are IMTA aquaculture operations? Should they be getting used more? Are there any hidden downsides to them?

Erin Everton

Ok one more one more. Have you (you Alie) seen a geoduck before and……what do you think?

Becky Gehri

Which species of farmed fish are considered most sustainable or at least less harmful ecologically? Which to avoid? I’ve heard farmed salmon is a no no but something like tilapia might be ok

Mer H

FTQA: In what ways does this field overlap with those of habitat restoration/dam removal, hydrology and civil engineering? Does aquaculture require the same conditions/habitat/geographical footprint as where one might naturally find wild varieties? How do these disciplines and considerations coexist much less support each other?

Fiona Dolphin

Are there great alternatives to all the plastic and netting used for aquaculture setups? A lot of the communities I work in have complained about the plastic pollution from aquaculture operations in Washington. Nets and plastic tubes get washed away with the tide or storms and end up on other beaches, wrapped around boat props, etc.

Neal Greenstein

We know that global warming causes coral bleaching in the reefs. What terrible no good very bad thing is happening to the wildlife in our freshwater systems?

Jason Lowenthal

I work in hospitality, and it occurred to me one day, as we were serving octopus... ARE THERE OCTOPUS FARMS?!?

Grace Bedry

Fear mongering tactics. Same things with "grass fed beef"

Robin Stumbo

how is healthy genetic diversity maintained in aquaculture facilities? are there any species that are difficult to cultivate at the moment but are promising as aquaculture candidates with better technology? why are lumpsuckers so dang cute??!?

SustainableSirenian

First Time Questions Asker: I work with manatees and I’ve always been told that growing sea grasses such as turtle, shoal, and manatee grass, and then freshwater eel grass are extremely hard to grow in systems on land (not insitu habitat restoration areas). Why? Is it just a lack of funding/lack of staff issue or are there complications with growing that type of aquatic vegetation? Thanks!

Ry_ofthetiger

I'm really interested in multi-system synergy in this context; basically hydro-permaculture. Like, can you use mussels or oysters to filter water, which was 'nutrified' with salmon poop, which then passed through kelp fields, to produce hydroponic crops? Can saltwater aquaculture also result in water purification? I'm imagining a multi-pronged output of fresh produce, seaweed, shellfish, salmon, and simultaneous freshwater catchment through evaporation distillation. Like using a greenhouse in the sea over salmon habitat, to catch fresh water in the air, produced by plants grown in saltwater, after being filtered by marine bivalves. Does something like that that exist? If not, could it? This question went way off the rails (off the waves?)—so sorry about that, but looking forward to this interview!

Sid

I want a planted tank and have seen some shrimp jars? But yeah I def can’t keep a fish!

Her Ladyship Jen

I'm seconding this. To piggyback on the idea of non-oceanic bodies of water, is it possible to practice Aquaculture on a micro scale? What can lay people do who may have streams or ponds?

Her Ladyship Jen

More on this please! Esp in the US, we focus on indigenous culture and maize or root vegetables in popular Thanksgiving mythology, but would love to hear more about aquacultural history!

Cheryl

First time (on time) question asker: Do you think we should have just left the sea alone to begin with?😄 Is the majority of research, being done now, focusing more on how to reverse our human impact and involvement? Or are we looking more at how to understand the modernised ecosystem and help conserve the newer, natural environment? ... quick follow on, if we are trying to adapt this, should we just leave well alone and allow the aqua life to adapt of it's own accord?

Keiki Kohne

Hello! How do you balance the ethical treatment of farmed sea animals with sustainability goals?

Keiki Kohne

Have you ever had a moment during your work that totally changed how you see the ocean?

Keiki Kohne

If you could connect aquaculture to another field (such as architecture, education, fashion), what collaboration would you dream up?

Zyz

Omg a while ago I visited a researcher trying to develop an octopus farm - apparently it's incredibly hard and the larvae are incredibly picky for some reason - they refuse to eat unless every tiniest detail is controlled! So now I'm also curious if any octopus is farmed at all??

Zyz

How bad actually is fish aquaculture?? We seem to heat a lot of horrible facts about the practice; is it actually better than wild caught? Any underrated fish/shellfish species you wish people consumed more widely?? Things that are super efficient to farm or just taste really good but isn't utilised?

Magda Kossowska

What's this about seaweed fertilizer? Is it bad to take nutrients away from the ocean to use them in our gardens?

Magda Kossowska

How worried should we be about microplastics in the ocean and like bioaccumulation of heavy metals? Are there any methods that aquaculture has to counter this?

Kait

Aw, SHELL YEAH!! Can’t wait for their KELPful insights!!! Mostly I’m too anxious about this and can only make puns right now!!!!!!!

Deborah Gray

What fish do you most wish we could raise with aquaculture but it just isn’t posible? What do you think we should do about the “poop problem”- the high nutrients present in these aquaculture farms. Is there anything that the common person can grow with aquaculture? Should I grow kelp?

Jason Lowenthal

I did look it up and read that they are very territorial, which makes it difficult. Still curious to learn more!

Rob Morgan

Given that agriculture has harmed various environments on land, what are the greatest risks that aquaculture may pose for the oceans?

CurtisDawg

What about the farm raised fish that escape into the wild and cause havoc? Is that still a thing? Why is it so bad?

CurtisDawg

My friends keep telling me that there are "plenty of fish in the sea". Is that not true?

Jessi Thompson

FTQA: I've heard kelp farming is going to be big. What is the job market for working in aquaculture going to be like in the future? What qualifications will be useful? Asking for a friend.

Jennifer Lemon

Is it possible to do without polluting the area with antibiotics and massive amounts of fish poop?

Tom Boodry

Does having oyster farms have any special benefits as they filter feed? Or would farming in conjunction with something else be more beneficial?

T Noz

Remember reading years ago about plans to raise algae in massive bags floating on the ocean. Anyone still working on projects like that?

Amanda

What are some things I can grow (and will thrive) hydroponically in my house?

Thorpasaurus Jess

I’ve been vegan for nearly 13 years (or *consciously plant-based*) for sustainability reasons. Recently, another plant-based friend of mine mentioned that she’s reintroducing some fish into her diet, like oysters, and I’ve heard that “tin fish” are some of the most sustainable. Is this true? Does oyster farming really help protect coastlines? I know oysters are great filter feeders but, are they actually yummy? I’ve never eaten one. I’ve considered getting some animal products back into my diet for ease of eating while traveling, and fish was my favorite meat prior to changing my diet, but I’m very skeptical that any of our current aquaculture or wild caught practices are truly sustainable.

Thorpasaurus Jess

What’s the deal with vertical farming in the water column? Where are all my delicious kelp entrees? I thought we were gonna eat algae and save the world like ten years ago.

Dronedude

FTQA What’s the hardest essential element to cultivate in both freshwater and saltwater systems

Between Dumplings

I think we still can't eat eel, right? Except the American Unagi. Opposite of salmon (anadromous) can count as they return to their streams to spawn vs eel (catadromous) can't count 'em in the Sargasso Sea. Is aquaculture of eel going to take off? What about Barramundi? Delicious and were successfully farmed in tanks so no ecological wasting of coastline. Don't hear about them anymore. Oysters, champions of sustainable seafood, but now the spat are having a hard time developing shells and west coaster spat are being grown in Hawaii, until shells are strong then flown back to PacNW. This is not sustainable, right? How bad is acidification of waters and who else besides oysters are affected? Who is doing a good job of salmon farming Faroe Island?

The Other Maya

I have the same questions as everyone else: what's the ethical/ecological landscape here? Oh, additionally: the frozen fish from Vietnam and China at the Asian Grocery: is that ok or is that like bad news ethically/ecologically? Can I eats the snake fish and the mud snails or nah?

Agegamon

What percentage of aquaculture, takes advantage of natural ocean/lake/other water formations? Versus, say, artificial fish hatcheres? Sub-question, do you think it matters, in terms of the viability of a farm/hatchery?

Caro Young

Is aquaculture really as bad as everyone says, particularly fish farming?

Charlotte Wallis

FTQA What are your thoughts on the genus Daphnia/common water fleas? The head of the animal ecology department at my uni is obsessed with them (mostly in the context of microplastics) and Daphnia are his whole brand. He even tried to send them to space once, so I was just wondering if that is totally a him thing?

RoadLesTravelled

Global warming. Economic disruption. The rise in ocean temperatures is virtually identical to temperature changes on land, so doesn’t that mean established aquaculture becomes displaced?

Melanie Ang

What is plastic pollution and all the micro plastic in the ocean doing to the fish?

rowantree

What do you see as the future of aquaculture? We will need to feed ~10 billion people on land that is becoming less arable, so do you think it can help with systemic food inequity and fulfill nutritional needs?

Quinn

With the rise of 3D printing, I read a journal article about preliminary work with 3D printing to help coral reef restoration, do you know any more about 3D printing being used/tested in this field?

julia_loves_fun_facts

FTQA is 'co-aquaculture' an option for increasing efficiency? The nitrogen rich poop of fish could benefit plants (aquatic and terrestrial) and help they grow even better. But how much is this being done and how cost/energy/space efficient is it actually?

Leanna Shuster

Are there species well suited for aquaculture that are struggling to maintain their normal population in the wild due to climate change?

Ara Victor

How long has humanity been practicing aquaculture? is it as old as agriculture, or more recent?

stabby crabby

What is your favorite marine organism? David Attenborough recently said that the way to save the planet is to save the ocean. (So thank you so much for your work and what you do, it is so important!) While long term global reduction of carbon emissions is what needs to happen to reduce ocean warming and acidification, is there anything that can be done in the shorter term to help improve ocean health? What can I do to help support ocean health? How can we as a society work towards cleaner and healthier ocean ecosystems in the face of governments that are hostile to those goals? I know small organisms like krill that help to support larger ocean ecosystems are rapidly dropping in population. Is there anything we can do to help support their numbers? Would it be possible to selectively breed and introduce krill that show higher survival rates under warmer and more acidic conditions? What kinds of seafood should we be avoiding? (Due to its industry being particular harmful) Sorry, I know that’s a lot of stuff. I love the oceans (have been scuba diving since I was 10) and clearly have a lot of anxiety about the way things are currently going. Want to make sure I’m doing my part to help. Thanks again for all you do!

MothxLamp

One time I bought some plants for my aquarium from the pet store and ended up bringing home some tiny snails that hitched a ride. What roles do snails have in aquaculture? Love em. 🐌

Katie Biardi

What is the worst animal/plant to raise with aquaculture? I went to an aquaculture based high school, and I remember that the lobsters were a pain because the larval stages would eat each other so you always had to have them swirling in a vortex.

Kirsten Poppenhagen

My first question, yay! There is a section of a marsh on my property here in central Minnesota. What can I do to be a good steward to this corner of the marsh and will I go to hell if I utilize some of the water from it to water my garden?

Mouse Paxton

Is aquaculture being adopted more on a small-scale/personal level? Is this something that can be done in your house or yard? Are there species that are not suited for aquaculture? Do you think they'll be replaced in markets by species that are easier to farm? Does aquaculture have a role in the pet trade? Are aquatic plants and animals being bred in farms and is this helping to reduce how many individuals are being wild caught for the pet trade?

Fred Peter

Much I have heard is that aquaculture for tilapia, shrimp, etc., is analogous to Kansas cattle feed lots. Fatten 'em up and worry about the waste later. Not the most environmentally friendly mode of farming. Are there economic ways to not trade one bad mode for another?

Jenna

My high school raised white sea bass in an aquaculture setting and released them into the ocean as part of the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute’s hatchery program. But the wire tags recovered kept showing that the fish from our school kept dying instead of reproducing (they did genetic research on them: https://www.sportfishingmag.com/game-fish/genetics-study-sheds-new-light-on-californias-white-seabass-hatchery-program/). Did they ever have a chance after being raised in captivity? Did we ever contribute to the white sea bass population, or just provide snacks for more resilient, wild fish?

KristieAdventure

FTQA from Indiana: why can’t I get the fresh shrimp farmed less than 30 min from me but instead have 20 choices in the freezer section of the stores farm raised across the world (India, Thailand etc)!? How do I find US aquaculture farms that will sell to the public? Or in which stores?

Jason Hoffman

How effective is coral farming/propagation? Is it proving to be useful at protecting and restoring marine ecosystems?

Meg Chadsey

I missed the seaweed farming deadline by an hour, so reposting my still-relevant seaweed question here: "First time question asker Meg the Seaweed Lady! There are so many good reasons to cultivate seaweed commercially and for restoration besides (largely unsubstantiated) claims of carbon sequestration. Given that under most conditions (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02278-1) only a SMALL fraction of farmed seaweed gets buried on seafloor for any meaningful length of time (so probably not the climate change-fighting, carbon credit bonanza it's often made out to be), are there OTHER opportunities for seaweed farmers to be compensated for the multiple ecological co-benefits they DO deliver? Talking about habitat, food for sea critters, shoreline protection, water quality improvements... "

Meg Chadsey

I work for Sea Grant (https://seagrant.noaa.gov), which does a TON of work in the aquaculture space*. My colleagues are so excited about this episode, and had a long list of questions for you: 1) Has anyone done head to head comparisons between terrestrial and marine farming in terms of: productivity (overall and/or protein yield) per unit area; productivity per unit energy input; total inputs (feed, fertilizer, water, pesticides); carbon footprint and/or overall ecological footprint? 2) What gives with the public's (generally poor) perception of aquaculture? Why are people's mental models about aquaculture so different from the way they view agriculture? To what extent are perceptions of aquaculture influenced by the long-standing view that the ocean is part of the commons, while the land is fair game for private ownership? 3) Who does this work? And how does the aquaculture workforce compare to terrestrial farm workers and owners? 4) What are some of the environmental benefits of aquaculture production, specifically in comparison to land-based agriculture? (hint: Sea Grant & NOAA developed a nitrogen removal calculator to assess the positive environmental benefits of oyster farming on marine water quality: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/new-calculator-helps-oyster-growers-measure-water-quality-benefits-farms). 5) There's been a “greying of the fleet” (and tideflats) in the fisheries and aquaculture industries in recent years. How can we increase workforce recruitment and retention in the aquaculture industry? 6) How does farm raised seafood (seaweed, shellfish, fish) stack up nutritionally against land-based agriculture (beef, chicken, pork)? *just a couple of examples: the National Sea Grant Seaweed Hub (https://seaweedhub.extension.uconn.edu); and the Aquaculture Information Exchange (https://vaseagrant.org/aquaculture_information_exchange)

Meg Chadsey

The Puget Sound Restoration Fund in Washington state (restorationfund.org) operates a conservation aquaculture facility for restoring declining species Pinto abalone, bull kelp, and Olympia oysters. They are the bomb at maintaining genetic diversity in cultivated species--it's a science AND and art! Also, lumpsuckers are hands-down the cutest!

Zandra Lea

Not a scientist, but there’s a new garden supplement in Canada called Typha that uses cattails instead of peat moss. Maybe they’re part of the solution?

Amelia Frank

Is aquaculture something a person can engage in on the small scale, like at home? And if you can, do you have to live in a certain climate to make that work?

zackever8

I had the same question! Adding to it, are rain gardens considered aquaculture? In the sense that we can plant them at home and reap benefits like less sewer runoff/less erosion?

Empress of Smallwood

Tell me all about microplastics and fish please! Are they being monitored or regulated at all? Is there a threshold of microplastics that can be present in a certain fishery in order to be considered safe for consumption? How would a fishery reduce microplastics in their waters? What equipment would be used?

Jeremy Green

I have so many questions! I have worked as a river guide for 13 years and talk a lot about the ecological impacts of dams and agricultural uses of western rivers. 1 are the dams and therefore the evaporation of stagnant waters in the reservoirs and the use of the water from the rivers to feed farms and golf courses and lawns in the desert really the reasons that the Colorado River barely reaches the ocean anymore? 2 this one is Colorado River/grand canyon specific. I was told that the sediment that has backed up into the Grand Canyon from the dead current of lake mead would take over a thousand years to clear out if the dams were all removed! Is this true? 3 how much ecological damage are the dams along western rivers actually doing to the fish and other critters that depend on them?

Tim Barth

We will (hopefully) soon be living in a place that used to be a tree nursery and aquaculture farm which was abandoned about 25 years ago. They used the aquaculture wastewater to fertilize the tree growth. My question is, what kinds of leftovers from that operation do we need to worry about still being around that could affect the ecology or the ability to live there? We've found a lot of small blue plastic balls with spines on them laying around, for example - I think those were part of the aquaculture equipment but I'm not sure exactly what for?

Tim Barth

Oh... I missed the deadline on this one. Oh well. At least I can ask about cheese!