By Sarah E. Lester, Rebecca R. Gentry, Carrie V. Kappel, Crow White, and Steven D. Gaines:
“The United States had a $14 billion seafood trade deficit in 2016, importing more than 2.5 million tons of edible fishery products, 90% of the value of the seafood Americans eat. Half of those seafood imports are from aquaculture. Meanwhile, demand in the United States for local, fresh, and sustainably produced seafood is growing, and the absence of sufficient local supply to meet this demand clearly represents a lost opportunity for sustainability and economic growth. Expanded domestic seafood production in the United States could promote significant economic development and job creation. Yet, wild-fishery production has only a relatively modest potential for sustainable growth. Aquaculture, therefore, represents the only realistic option for expanding domestic production.”
Read the full article at PNAS.org:
https://www.pnas.org/content/115/28/7162