COASTAL AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT - THE ROLE OF COASTAL AREA MANAGEMENT

The rapid expansion of coastal aquaculture has serious environmental and socioeconomic consequences, which include large-scale removal of valuable coastal wet-lands, land subsidence, acidification, salinization of groundwater and agricultural land, and subsequent loss of goods and services generated by natural resource systems. Practices that are environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable should therefore be promoted through integrated planning and management within the framework of coastal area management (CAM).