What is the Environmental Impact of Aquaculture Waste?

Increase in environmental mandates and pressures from the local, state, and federal agencies to reduce pollution of Louisiana's water, land, and air stress a need for technology that makes the conversion of aquatic waste to useful commercial products practicable. Land application of aquatic waste is an option. However, the bulky, raw aquatic waste can take months to decompose on land.

Nutrient recycling is an important component in environmentally sound conservation programs. Returning to the soil essential elements that are taken up by plants or fed animals is an environmentally sound approach to using the converted aquatic waste. Since aquatic waste is a biological waste, it can supply nutrients for plant growth after decomposition by micro-organisms. Recycling of aquatic waste can reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers and provide organic matter to the soil, which will improve the chemical and physical characteristics. Returning these industrial wastes back to the land is a wise conservation practice. Processes like the Center's low-input process that reduces the pollution of our land and landfills with millions of pounds of aquatic waste produced each year are urgently needed.


What is the Economic Potential?

Converting aquatic waste into useful agricultural products makes good environmental and economical sense. The aquatic waste can furnish a good protein supplement, calcium, and fiber source for farm animals and supply nutrients to crop plants. Research into methods for converting unprocessed aquatic waste into usable aquaculture meals can strengthen sustainable animals and plant agriculture.

Currently, no industrial plant in Louisiana converts aquatic waste into commercial aquaculture meal products. The usage of aquaculture meals will be determined by market place decisions. These market place decisions will be activated when a company or companies make aquaculture meals readily available in the market place. Hopefully, a Louisiana enterprise will make aquaculture meals more available in the marketplace. If cow manure can be sold in the marketplace, why not aquaculture meal?

What is the Potential Impact?

Feed cost is the largest cost of livestock production; protein is the most expensive nutrient in livestock rations. An increased interest in the utilization of various forms of aquaculture meal could provide the benefit of low production cost.