22 SEPTEMBER 2017 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG required to manage farms. The gains from trained personnel and good farm management could overcome the additional costs from additional aeration. The goal is always minimizing cost/kg, and although it looks complicated at the beginning, following this path could help Mexican aquaculture advance towards a more industrialized activity than what it is now. A big challenge that Mexico faces is to convince policymakers and regulators to believe in aquaculture by presenting them with the scientific findings that demonstrate the amount of protein output against the amount of energy input. Competitive tariffs are needed that will allow Mexican producers to utilize more intensive techniques and compete against imports. Multiple Uses of Water Fresh water is one of the most precious resources on Earth. The wise use of it is essential for the survival of humanity. Aquaculture competes with many users for this precious commodity, but it can be one of the activities that uses it efficiently. A big future challenge is promoting the idea that aquaculture could be the first use of water prior to use for livestock consumption or irrigation. When the demand for freshwater builds to a critical level, there should be a mandate that water have at least two uses. Aquaculture could be the best option for one of them. There are many ways of giving several uses to water through aquaculture. Mexican aquaculturists need to analyze the ones that work best in the local conditions and start promoting their use nationwide. With so much of Mexico being desert, only a couple of success stories with these practices will be needed to disseminate the model. In marine environments, integrated multitrophic aquaculture, where waste nutrients applied through complete feed to fish cages are used by mollusks and aquatic plants in the water column and by bottom feeders on the ocean floor, leading to a reduced environmental footprint of marine cage culture. Overcoming the challenges associated with implementation of this concept, where applicable, without affecting the profitability of operations could assure the sustainability of those ventures. Full Utilization of Water Bodies for Aquaculture Aquaculture in Mexico has a major opportunity to use the reservoirs and natural lakes throughout the country. Today, tilapia is harvested, mostly by artisanal fishermen, from almost every water body, although in some cases conditions are not adequate for the species. Selecting the right species for each area – essentially meaning catfish for the north and tilapia for the south – is a critical decision. The first step is to calculate the carrying capacity of these water bodies. In Mexico, there has been considerable discussion about the potential of these reservoirs, but there has been no estimation of the actual production capacity. Spatial zoning of these water bodies is recommended. Before starting to grow “Mexican style,” we need to take the time to identify where the large, medium and small-scale farms would be placed and where the service, conservation and touristic areas will be located. Once the plan has been developed, designated areas or lots could be leased or concessions could be granted depending on the characteristics of the investors. These concessions would have easy renovation regulations to assure stakeholders that their interests are well kept. Marine Aquaculture Although Mexico is on its way to becoming a world leader in offshore aquaculture, it would just be one of the many targets of activity. “Marine” should be considered in the broadest sense and include offshore fish, mollusks, plants, and inland aquaculture using water from the ocean. Mexico has more than 11,000 km of coastline and most of it has water with good quality and temperature for commercial production. There are several areas with high energy that would need facilities away from the coast but there are many areas that provide excellent environments for culture of species like oyster in the Laguna Madre or mostly every kind of aquaculture in the Gulf of California. Mexico should turn its eyes towards the sea, believe in Blue Growth and embrace it. The oceans will be a major engine of development in the future. Universities and research centers need to be the biggest promotors of it. Aquaculture must be seen, analyzed, planned and wanted. We need to spread the passion for it. We need to think of the ocean as the major source of protein for animal consumption and start working on every possibility, Hatchery-reared yellowtail, Ensenada, Baja California. Abalone culture in Bahía de Tortugas, Baja California.
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