Industrial aquaculture causes ecological problems — Santa Barbara proves
Fausey 23 [Callie Fausey is a news reporter for the Santa Barbara Independent. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Communication and Media Studies., “NOAA Identifies Eight Possible Sites for Aquaculture in Santa Barbara Channel,” Santa Barbara Independent, 4-13-2023, https://www.independent.com/2023/04/11/noaa-identifies-eight-possible-sites-for-fish-farming-in-santa-barbara-channel/, accessed 7-15-2023, HKR-SWY]
Fears of fin fish farming in the Santa Barbara Channel brought a dozen community members to the front door of the local office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Wednesday, April 5. Surrounded by gravestones reading “RIP humpback whales,” “RIP wild fish,” and “RIP local fisherman,” concerned individuals delivered 2,500 petition signatures calling on the Biden administration to ban fin fish farming.
“The pollution surrounding fish farm sites such as these can create dead zones where there isn’t enough oxygen in the water to support even basic marine life,” said Katie Davis, the chair of the Santa Barbara–Ventura Sierra Club. “These pens can entangle migrating marine mammals, such as humpback whales, and pose a massive risk to native fish populations. Developing fish farms off the coast of Santa Barbara is an ecological disaster just waiting to happen.”