Why We Need Both Farmed and Wild Seafood

Editor’s note: This post is part of the Aquaculture 101 series. Aquaculture 101 is an educational campaign that the GSA is carrying out throughout 2019. The mission of the campaign is to spread awareness about basic aquaculture facts and information to those who might not know about aquaculture, or those who might be skeptical of farmed fish. Each month, a blog post, short video and infographic is released on the GSA website and is shared across social media with the hashtag #Aquaculture101. 

There are many articles pitting farmed and wild seafood against each other with the infamous farmed vs. wild dichotomy. In reality, the seafood industry needs to be lifting up all responsible seafood practices through positive conversations. Humans need both farmed and wild seafood to create a more sustainable food system.

Billions of people rely on seafood as their primary source of protein, and the demand for seafood is expected to double by the year 2030. As population and demand are growing, we need an all-encompassing, responsible solution. Through innovation and ingenuity, and the collaboration between farmed and wild seafood, a more sustainable food system will emerge.

At the end of the day, farmed and wild seafood are both just that: seafood. The industry should unite behind the common mission of educating consumers about the benefits of seafood as a food category, rather than arguing against each other. Both are necessary to work towards a more sustainable, healthful food system.

Learn more in our “Farmed and Wild Seafood” video.

Read more of our Aquaculture 101 series and check it out on social media with the hashtag #Aquaculture101!