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Aquaculture - the farming of aquatic organisms - is one of the most promising but controversial new industries in Canada. Advocates believe aquaculture has the potential to solve serious environmental and food supply problems resulting from global overfishing. Critics argue that industrial-scale aquaculture poses unacceptable threats to human health, local communities, and the environment.
The Aquaculture Controversy in Canada is not about the techniques and methods of aquaculture, but it is an examination of the controversy itself. Rather than picking sides, Nathan Young and Ralph Matthews draw on extensive research to determine why the issue has been the centre of intense debate in Canada. They argue that the conflict is both unique, reflecting the specific history of coastal and resource development in Canada, and rooted in major unresolved questions confronting democratic societies around the world: the environment, rights, knowledge, development, and governance. The inability of the industry and its advocates to address the complexities of the controversy, they argue, has given a powerful advantage to aquaculture’s opponents and fuelled the debate.
Comprehensive and balanced, this book explores the issues at the heart of the aquaculture controversy - the relationship between humanity and the environment, notions of rights and justice, and the rise of intense local-global interactions and conflicts. It will appeal to anyone interested in environmental controversies, public policy, natural resources, or coastal issues
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