Thousands of fish, like this tuna, are caught in miles and miles of netting.

While the factory farming of land animals contributes to ecological degradation, aquaculture and commercial ocean fishing also take a grave environmental toll.

The increasingly popular factory farming of fish has contributed to water pollution.

Much of the biodiversity of the oceans has been depleted by “overfishing.” In order to kill large numbers of animals at one time, commercial fishers use sonar, spotting planes, and fishing nets large enough to swallow 12 jumbo 747 jets. While these methods clearly decrease the variety and numbers of ocean animals, aquaculture is not much better for the planet.

According to the journal Science, a two-acre salmon farm produces as much waste as a town of 10,000 people.(1) Aquaculture farms dump waste, pesticides, and other chemicals directly into ecologically fragile coastal waters. Local ecosystems are destroyed, devastating animals and plants.

Reference

1. Marcia Barinaga. Fish, Money, and Science in Puget Sound, Science, Feb. 9, 1990