Aquaculture emits ten times less greenhouse gases and uses between 20 and 100 times less land per ton of animal protein produced than livestock farming. For these and other reasons, it could be a way to achieve food security in the Amazon in a more sustainable way.
This is the conclusion of a study published in the journal Nature Sustainability by researchers from Brazil and the United States, some of whom were supported by FAPESP .
"Aquaculture has had a series of incentives in the Amazon since the 1980s and has expanded exponentially since then. It has the advantage of being a more sustainable alternative to cattle ranching, which has been responsible for about 80% of Amazon deforestation in the last 30 years. At the same time, it needs to be studied more in terms of its impacts, including to reach international markets," says Felipe Pacheco , a researcher in the Eric & Wendy Schmidt AI in Science program at Cornell University in the United States and lead author of the article.
The researchers collected data on the activity in five (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) of the eight countries that make up the Amazon. Among them, Brazil is the largest producer of fish, with the state of Rondônia being responsible for most of the production of native species.
"Tambaqui has a consolidated market in the North region and its hardiness, combined with high growth rates and efficiency in feed conversion, strengthens its potential for expansion to other regions of the country and even to international markets," points out Marta Ummus , co-author of the paper and an analyst in Palmas (capital of the state of Tocantins) at EMBRAPA Fisheries and Aquaculture – one of the decentralized units of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA).
In addition to FAPESP, the study was funded by the Tocantins Research Support Foundation ( FAPT ) and the Foundation for the Support of the Development of Scientific and Technological Actions and Research in the State of Rondônia ( FAPERO ), as part of the Amazon+10 Initiative , which brings together all 27 state research funding agencies with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) to support research on the biome's biodiversity, conservation and socio-environmental development.
"We need to improve the existing data on the activity so that any expansion is based on a solid scientific foundation, knowing and respecting the limits that the environment can withstand," says Jean Ometto of the National Space Research Institute (INPE) and one of the project coordinators.
Expansion, as long as it is sustainable
According to the authors, the activity still has potential for expansion in the Amazon region, but some factors need to be taken into account. One of them is the difficulty of understanding the environmental licensing processes for the practice, which vary from state to state, as well as the need for continuous monitoring to increase the assertiveness of the processes and guarantee the compliance and sustainability of production.
For example, the damming of rivers for fish farming was long allowed and is still practiced in some places. This practice affects the connectivity of water bodies and harms aquatic biodiversity, including economically important species for fishing.
Other examples include cultivation that disregards animal and environmental health protocols. For example, overfeeding can lead to a buildup of organic matter at the bottom of ponds, increasing the emission of greenhouse gases such as methane. Excess nutrients can also end up in rivers, destabilizing food chains.
The researchers point out that a potential expansion of the activity could take advantage of degraded pastures to install new tanks without increasing deforestation. Studies have already shown that using these areas for aquaculture emits fewer greenhouse gases than simply leaving them abandoned. The activity is also more productive. It takes less land to produce a ton of fish than a ton of beef.
"Aquaculture cannot repeat what cattle ranching has done in states like Rondônia, where many areas were opened up for grazing and today many aren't very productive or have even been abandoned. However, it has the advantage of being able to use the same areas that have already been opened up for a much more sustainable activity," says Carolina Doria, professor at the Federal University of Rondônia (UNIR) and co-author of the study.
Competition from exotic species
In the global aquaculture scene, the Brazilian Amazon stands out for the production of native species such as tambaqui, pirapitinga, pacu and pirarucu. Throughout the world, the introduction of exotic species, such as tilapia, into the natural environment through aquaculture causes a number of problems, such as competition for resources and predation on native species.
However, there is strong pressure from producers in all regions of the country to open up tilapia farming, as the species has a large consumer market and a consolidated technology package that enhances its production.
These advantages are the result of technological development carried out outside the country, which now allows the species to be farmed in different parts of the world. Brazil, for example, is the world's fourth largest producer of tilapia, a species that accounts for 65% of national fish production.
In this sense, the authors of the study highlight the potential of the tambaqui, whose wild populations can provide genes for more productive and disease-resistant varieties, for example. Its escape into the wild, while undesirable, also has less destructive potential than that of exotic fish (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/38000 ).
"Aquaculture in the Amazon can bring food security and improve people's lives at the same time, providing a less uncertain source of income than other activities such as fishing. However, policies for the sector need to target small, medium and large producers alike," concludes Pacheco.
About FAPESP
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration.
