THE IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRATING ALGAL SYSTEMS INTO A BALANCE MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO AQUACULTURE

McVey, J. P. Program Director, National Sea Grant College Program, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910, USA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through its National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) has developed a vision for how seafood will be produced in the USA which includes the proper management of natural fisheries, aquaculture and the management and involvement by human coastal communities. The concept of balanced ecosystem management is not only being talked about at national levels but active research programs are being planned and supported. The recent $5 million National Marine Aquaculture Initiative (NMAI) specifically called for proposals that study the “trophic level consequences of marine aquaculture and marine species enhancement”. Recent workshops at the World Aquaculture Society meeting in Orlando and at the regional aquaculture meeting held at Boston on the topic of “Aquaculture and the Environment” have focused on a balanced approach to both aquaculture and fisheries management. All of the workshops focused on the important role of plants in the aquatic community. The basic premise about a balanced ecosystem approach is to incorporate the biological functions of a diverse group of plants and animals into a unified system that maintains the natural interactions of species and allows an ecosystem to function. Models are useful in understanding the energy and nutrient flow within an ecosystem; as are GIS technologies that allow us to map biological and ecological regimes. Macroalgae and phytoplankton both convert nutrients to plant material and transform carbon dioxide to oxygen. In contrast, animals derive much of their nutrition from plants, in one way or another and transform oxygen to carbon dioxide. This presentation will discuss the need to incorporate the use of plants in ecosystem maintenance such that there is balance between the animal, including humans, and plant communities in coastal areas. This will all be related to new NOAA programs and funding opportunities for research support in this area.