A high-impact review in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems , Climate Change Effects on Aquaculture Production
In 2017, Hurricane Maria destroyed 95% of Puerto Rico’s aquaculture facilities, including the island’s only tropical fish hatchery. In 2020, Cyclone Amphan inundated 150,000 hectares of shrimp ponds in India’s Sundarbans region, causing $250 million in losses. Floods wash away cages, introduce pathogens from contaminated runoff, and cause abrupt salinity drops that trigger mass mortality. Droughts, conversely, concentrate pollutants, raise water temperatures, and reduce available volume in reservoirs and ponds. The 2014-2016 drought in Brazil’s São Francisco Basin, which supplies 70% of the country’s tilapia, forced harvests 40% below projections. aquaculture climate change
The storm was not the primary enemy; the water itself was. Below the surface, the chemistry of the ocean was shifting in ways that terrarium farmers on land didn't have to deal with. A high-impact review in Frontiers in Sustainable Food
For Elias and the finfish operation, the threat was more insidious. The acidification was altering the food web. Below the surface, the chemistry of the ocean
To maintain productivity, the industry is shifting toward "Climate-Smart Aquaculture":
Seaweed aquaculture can provide a "halo effect" that buffers surrounding waters against acidification.