Subsidies for land-based seafood farming could boost tree-planting
Researchers claim switching from traditional terrestrial production to prawns would be climate friendly
Subsidies for emerging technology that enables seafood to be produced on land would boost the UK’s food security as well as deliver significant climate benefits, according to new research.
A study in the Journal of Cleaner Production sets out how the UK’s plans to boost the environment through 30,000 hectares of new woodland would reduce farmland and food production, with the production of animal proteins hardest hit.
But using datasets and modelling tools, the researchers found that seafood farmed in tanks on land would offset 80% of the protein loss while using less than 1% of the land earmarked for tree planting.
Economic growth
They claim that recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) have already been shown to have the potential to transform UK seafood production and boost economic growth.
The authors, from the University of Exeter, argue that the UK has a unique opportunity to lead a global “blue transformation” by investing in innovative production systems to farm seafood in tanks on land.
Their research shows how the same technology could also help achieve environmental goals when used alongside afforestation.
Long-distance freight
Prawns produced this way could also replace a third of UK prawn imports, which would eliminate seven million tonnes of CO2 associated with long-distance freight, the researchers say.
Commenting on the study, Professor Ian Bateman, from the Land, Environment, Economics and Policy Institute at the University of Exeter Business School, said that “land-based aquaculture offers the potential of hugely increasing the quantity of food produced per hectare, allowing us to spare the land we need to restore the environment without increasing our reliance on imports".
The researchers call for government support to subsidise the cost of new RAS facilities but warn that subsidies must be at the right level to maximise the food and environmental benefits.
More profitable
They explain that while a large subsidy would make RAS more profitable, this could place it in competition with agriculture.
They found a moderate subsidy of 100% the upfront cost of only one RAS facility yielded the highest gain in food production and carbon mitigation per pound of public funds invested.
The researchers say the findings show how public concerns about carbon sequestration policies can be addressed through policy measures.
Carbon neutrality
Dr Diana Tingley, from the University of Exeter Business School, said: “Recirculating aquaculture of prawns could support the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and substitute imports for lower-carbon domestic seafood.
“This would, of course, require farmers to adopt RAS and consumers to shift to diets with less livestock products and more seafood, as well as technical training of workers to monitor and manage the water quality of RAS facilities.”
The University of Exeter leads the UK Sustainable King Prawn Project, a research initiative exploring indoor, land-based king prawn farming.