White Papers
Although aquaculture generally receives good press, some reports have attacked its activities by presenting information in a misleading way. Follow the links below for GAA’s positions on pertinent aquaculture issues.
When it comes to the stereotype that shrimp farms destroy mangroves, an assertion inferred in National Geographic magazine, thoughtful people ask for evidence. The images provided by National Geographic in support of its assertion not only fail to prove the author’s case, but demonstrate that carefully sited shrimp farms are compatible with mangrove habitats.
A World Wildlife Fund report highlighted data on mangrove losses that conflicts with figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Although WWF’s “Living Planet Report” indirectly relied on an FAO report by Mette Løyche Wilkie and Serena Fortuna for base data, it appeared to present their information as it was secondarily misreported.
Using data drawn from an earlier paper, authors concluded in the Journal of Nutrition that the risks of farmed salmon consumption outweigh the benefits for pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children. The newer article contained no new data beyond that of the original, which was criticized as inaccurate and alarmist, and was seriously flawed in several ways.