Aquaculture is supposed to ease the pressure of wild fisheries, but it creates a burden of its own. Farm fish need food. In many cases, they need to eat other fish. So millions of tons of small, wild fish are ground up into fish meal each year. Aquaculture's effect on the environment doesn't stop there.
Some farms crowd fish into pens to keep up with demand.
That can lead to disease. Some farms use lots of antibiotics to fight disease, but that can give rise to tougher strains of bacteria. Aquaculture may put cheap fish on your plate now, but it may be costly for the environment in the long run. The EnvironMinute is produced in cooperation with the National Safety Council and made possible by the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation.