{"id":8910,"date":"2024-08-01T09:15:04","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T13:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/?p=8910"},"modified":"2025-12-03T17:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T21:00:08","slug":"theres-no-escaping-the-need-to-address-escapes-in-aquaculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/2024\/08\/01\/theres-no-escaping-the-need-to-address-escapes-in-aquaculture\/","title":{"rendered":"There’s No Escaping the Need to Address Escapes in Aquaculture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open ocean aquaculture in the U.S. has the potential to create diverse local jobs, build a more climate-resilient domestic seafood supply, and minimize impacts on the climate and environment. However, achieving these benefits hinges on practicing aquaculture the right way.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what does the \u201cright way\u201d entail? What do we still need to know to make sure aquaculture is sustainable as it expands into U.S. federal waters (3-200 nautical miles)?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the second blog in our series covering the sustainability of aquaculture, what we currently know, emerging advancements, and where there is room for growth. <\/span>Our last blog<\/span><\/a> covered sustainability in aquaculture feed. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this blog, we\u2019re exploring escapes in aquaculture: the risks of fish escaping aquaculture pens, and best practices to prevent, minimize, and respond to escapes. This is also the subject of our recently published white paper, \u201cSustainability Considerations for the Expansion of US Aquaculture: Managing Risks From Escaped Fish<\/a>,\u201d which we invite you to read for a more in-depth look at the issue.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sustainability considerations for escapes in open ocean aquaculture<\/strong><\/p>\n

A major sustainability concern for aquaculture is the risk of farmed animals escaping their aquatic pens into surrounding ecosystems. These escapes can occur during mass \u201cescape events\u201d due to equipment breakdown, via low-level \u201cleakage\u201d of a few individuals at a time through small holes, or by releasing fertilized eggs.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If \u201cescaped\u201d animals survive, they may threaten wild populations by competing for resources, spreading disease, and interbreeding.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For open ocean aquaculture, ecosystem impacts may be smaller because animals are more dispersed. However, escape events may occur more often in the open ocean because the offshore environment\u2019s high-energy waves and storms put more wear and tear on farm infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the aquaculture industry expands, the risks associated with escapes have the potential to intensify without robust environmental protection standards in place. If widely adopted, currently recognized best practices could effectively minimize escape risks. Still, the U.S. should support research and implementation of additional approaches and emerging technologies to further enhance these safeguards.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the risks?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scientists estimate that 2-5% of farmed fish escape open net pens each year, representing several million fish globally. Few long-term impacts on wild ecosystems and populations have been documented.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, escapes are not comprehensively reported, impacts are difficult to track, and many knowledge gaps remain, especially for the offshore environment. Generally, escaped farmed fish are poorly adapted and have low survival rates in the wild.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While one-off mass escape events usually attract more media attention, addressing low-level leakage is also critical for mitigating genetic risks to wild populations because interbreeding is more likely with continuous exposure to cultured fish. Risks to wild populations increase when wild populations are weak or outnumbered, or farmed fish carry diseases.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Minimizing risk from escapes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Technological improvements and adoption of protocols have reduced the size and frequency of escape events, despite increased aquaculture production. Current best practices include:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n