Michigan faces a new threat to the vitality of our waters -- factory fish farming.
Also known as aquaculture, fish farming confines thousands of fish (and their waste) in cages where diseases flourish and spread to wild fish populations.
Fish waste is rich in phosphorus, a key ingredient in the growth of toxic algae blooms that have plagued Lake Erie, but phosphorous isn’t the only risk that open water factory fish farms pose to our Great Lakes. When caged fish escape, they compete for resources and interbreed with wild fish, weakening genetic diversity and the hardiness of fish populations.
With the Great Lakes fishing industry valued at $7 billion per year, it’s time to pour cold water on factory fish farms. MEC’s goal is a permanent ban on aquaculture in the Great Lakes.