WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2015 29 TABLE 4. The service values afforded to people by the core services of mariculture systems in four mariculture modes in Sungo Bay (Tang et al. 2013). All values are presented in Yuan/ha per yr (1000 Yuan = US$ 163, based on 2013 exchange rate). Food Waste Climate Air quality Mariculture provision treatment regulating regulating mode services services services services Total Monoculture kelp 49,219 428 4,859 6,750 61,257 Monoculture scallop 31,406 74 9,730 -8 32,445 IMTA (kelp and abalone) 325,553 2,275 13,591 7,489 348,809 IMTA (kelp, abalone 483,918 2,294 13,833 7,489 507,532 and sea cucumbers) Comment and Discussion on IMTA Developed in China Aquaculture, especially integrated aquaculture, provides goods (such as food products) but also many other direct and indirect service functions to the ecosystem (such as waste assimilation). Based on the 17 major evaluating parameters and methods presented by Costanza et al. (1997), the core ecosystem services of mariculture in Sungo Bay were estimated (Table 4). The analysis indicates the high value of IMTA systems, especially for food provision. The IMTA as developed in China has received a good evaluation from scientists such as Ken Shellman from NOAA, who said: “The IMTA technology includes the production of algae (kelp), mollusks (abalone), bivalves (bay scallop), and echinoderms (sea cucumber) to help close the fisheries protein gap, while capture fisheries recover to sustainable levels. Preliminary results suggest that the IMTA pilot should be expanded throughout the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) and into other Asian LMEs, where applications could provide job opportunities and food security. The pilot IMTA project proved to be highly energy efficient and optimized the carrying capacity of coastal embayments while improving water quality, increasing protein yields, and, through carbon capture, contributing to mitigation of the effects of climate change” (Sherman and McGovern 2012). IMTA is the best practice for recycling food and energy for increased sustainability and profitability of marine aquaculture. It is widely practiced in China. However, there are some challenges and threats that must be addressed and studied in the future: 1. Environmental pollution from land-based industrial facilities and agriculture is the biggest threat to mariculture. These cause frequent disease outbreaks and affect mariculture yields and seafood quality. 2. Ecological disasters have occurred frequently in recent years and these seriously threaten the development of mariculture. 3. Traditional mariculture areas are threatened by land development in coastal areas, especially for housing and other real estate development. Notes Jianguang Fang and Jihong Zhang, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China Acknowledgments The study was supported by the National Science and Technology Pillar Program (2011BAD13B06), National Natural Science (CONTINUED ON PAGE 30)
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