Does shellfish farming pose a risk to other aquatic species or the marine environment?
When properly sited and designed, shellfish culture operations generally cause a minimum of change to the marine environment. As with fish farms, shellfish operations are subject to a detailed assessment of the proposed location and its ability to support the proposed farm. This assessment also reviews the potential cumulative effects of the farm combined with other activities in the area. The operation can be considered sustainable as long as the size and number of the operations in a given area stays within the capacity of the environment to grow the natural food supply for the farmed shellfish and to absorb the associated wastes.
