At the WAS meeting in Seattle, Greenpeace and a few other NGOs
organized a session to protest against aquaculture. The reaction of the WAS has been to set up a discussion forum, called "susaqua". Here follows the most important background information + details how to subscribe to this list server:
SUSAQUA has been initiated to maintain the dialogue established during the recent special sessions at the World Aquaculture Society annual meeting in Seattle. The goal of this forum is to provide a platform for the continued exploration of ideas and issues related to the development of sustainable aquaculture. As issues are most sharply in focus with respect to the management of coastal resources, emphasis will be placed on shrimp aquaculture, although the forum is not limited exclusively to shrimp.
The focus of the list will be to explore solutions and opportunities for
the development of sustainable aquaculture. All participants are assumed to have a working knowledge of the problems related to un-sustainable development. The goal of this forum is to work toward solutions.
The list will be operated in a semi-closed fashion so as to facilitate
communication and information exchange among parties with a serious
interest in developing a truly sustainable aquaculture. The list currently has about 50 individuals. If you are not interested in participating, please send a message directly to the list manager.
USES AND PURPOSES OF SUSAQUA:
There is a broad spectrum of appropriate uses of SUSAQUA, including
the following:
-shrimp certification
-mangrove rehabilitation efforts
-covering the costs of sustainable aquaculture
-models of cooperation among stakeholders
-policies regarding coastal aquaculture
-guidelines for the development of environmental and social
impact assessments (EIAs)
-best management practices (BMPs)
-strategies for diffusion of BMPs
-shrimp pond site selection criteria
-shrimp pond effluent treatment
-quantification of sustainability
-items CLEARLY IDENTIFIED as press releases
The benefits of this list will include the following:
-avoiding the harsh rhetoric and highly-charged emotional
atmosphere that has heretofore characterized the debate
-creating and strengthening a network of technical professionals, government officials, industry representatives and environmental activists.
If you have any problems or questions about SUSAQUA, please contact the list manager: Dr. John A. Hargreaves, Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi State University (<jhargreaves@CFR.MsState.Edu>)
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