Treatment of Wastewater 



Aquaculture has the potential of becoming a useful tool in removing 

 pollutants from wastewater. The greatest potential is probably in 

 the removal of organic wastes from municipal sewage effluent or 

 food processing effluents. A potential byproduct of the treatment 

 process is food or fiber for plant, animal, or human use. 

 Aquaculture provides a viable alternative to the traditional 

 expensive mechanical and chemical waste treatment systems. 



Planktonic algae, water hyacinths, duckweed, and other aquatic 

 plants have been shown to remove solids, nutrients, and metal salts 

 from water. The effluent from a facility containing aquatic plants 

 can be of much better quality than the effluent from conventional 

 stabilization ponds. In some instances the plants may be harvested 

 or processed for soil conditioners, paper, cattle feed, or for 

 production of methane or alcohol for energy. Fish have not proven 

 to be as efficient as plants in the removal of pollutants but have 

 shown some potential advantages over traditional secondary and 

 tertiary treatment methods. Detritus-feeding molluscs show some 

 promise in this area. However, public health concerns and the 

 difficulty of meeting modern effluent standards, while 

 stimultaneously maximizing aquaculture yields, do not favor 

 immediate widespread use of fish for wastewater treatment. 



Social Impacts of Aquaculture Development and Implementation 



Supply of Protein 



The latest per capita consumption figures for fishery products for 

 the U.S. is a little over 12 pounds. Aquaculture can provide a 

 stable supply. In local areas, it can provide a significant 

 contribution in the protein budget by making fresh fish more 

 readily available. 



Employment 



Some aquaculture systems are vertically integrated organizations; 

 the fish are grown, harvested, processed, and marketed by the same 

 concern. This pattern is not normally found in other commercial 

 fishing operations in the U.S. Aquaculture operations will 

 increase the number of available jobs, especially in rural and 

 insular areas, and will provide for a stability of employment and 

 increased revenues. 



Sociocultural Issues 



Social and cultural impacts occur whenever there are changes in 

 established practices. Managers and officials concerned with 

 aquaculture will have an opportunity to solve possible social and 

 cultural conflicts before they arise by using sociological data in 

 the planning process. 



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