Ecosystem services in salmon aquaculture sustainability schemes

The need to employ management strategies that recognize ecosystem services and their trade-offs is considered a cornerstone for the implementation of an Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA), yet it is unclear how to operationalize these concepts. Here, the role of certification and sustainable seafood ranking programs (sustainability schemes) in maintaining ecosystem services and supporting an EAA was explored. The representation of ecosystem services within sustainability scheme criteria, as well as the attributes of those criteria, were assessed using marine salmon aquaculture as a case study. Criteria reflected a range of ecosystem services and support reducing pressure on those services. However, consideration of the resilience capacity of ecosystem services, recognition of enhancements to ecosystem services, and attributes that support cost-benefit analysis of salmon farming appear to be limited within sustainability scheme criteria. Overall, the farm-scale assessment approach of many sustainability schemes appears to be incongruent with the broader spatial perspective required to operationalize EAA.

Automated summary

This study examines the role of certification and sustainable seafood ranking programs in maintaining ecosystem services and supporting EAA, finding that while a range of ecosystem services are reflected in sustainability scheme criteria, attributes supporting resilience capacity, enhancement of ecosystem services, and cost-benefit analysis for salmon farming are limited.