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Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applications to Aquaculture Production Systems

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Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology

Definition of the Subject

Aquaculture production has grown three times faster than the livestock sector since the 1970s, becoming a major source of edible seafood and other products. This rapid expansion has, however, had a combination of positive and negative environmental, social, and economic effects. A variety of tools are available to evaluate these impacts in an attempt to identify the most sustainable practices. One of the more recent tools that has been applied to the evaluation of aquaculture production is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) , an ISO-standardized biophysical accounting framework that allows for multi-criteria environmental performance assessments. This chapter reviews studies that have applied LCA to studying the environmental dimensions of aquaculture production to date. Methodological differences and alternative approaches are discussed, along with their influence on...

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Abbreviations

Aquaculture:

The farming of aquatic organisms, including fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and aquatic plants. Farming implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, and protection from predators. Farming also implies individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated.

Co-product allocation:

Partitioning the input or output flows of a process or a product system between the product system under study and one or more other product systems.

Functional unit:

The quantified function provided by the product system(s) under study, for use as a reference basis in an LCA, e.g., 1,000 h of light.

Life cycle assessment (LCA):

An ISO-standardized analytical tool developed to evaluate environmental performance of products and processes. It constitutes a compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs, and potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle; the term may refer to either a procedural method or a specific study.

System boundary:

Defines the inputs and outputs that are included in the study. System boundaries should be set depending on what will be relevant to the aim of the study.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Patrik J. G. Henriksson

  2. Department of System Ecology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Patrik J. G. Henriksson

  3. Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Nathan L. Pelletier & Peter H. Tyedmers

  4. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, The Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Stockholm, Sweden

    Max Troell

  5. Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Max Troell

Authors
  1. Patrik J. G. Henriksson
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  2. Nathan L. Pelletier
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  3. Max Troell
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  4. Peter H. Tyedmers
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Correspondence to Patrik J. G. Henriksson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. RAMTECH LIMITED, Larkspur, CA, USA

    Robert A. Meyers

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Henriksson, P.J.G., Pelletier, N.L., Troell, M., Tyedmers, P.H. (2012). Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applications to Aquaculture Production Systems . In: Meyers, R.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_191

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