Aquaculture
Aquaculture is a practice that has
existed for thousands of years. Because
it is also referred to as “aquafarming”, people in this business are considered
to be farmers rather than fishermen.
Aquaculture includes raising aqua plants like seaweed and kelp, as well
as freshwater and saltwater fish and shellfish.
Shellfish are usually raised from "seeds" while other fish are
raised in fish hatcheries (freshwater) with ponds and running streams that
allow the fish to grow in a more natural habitat. In some countries saltwater fisheries raise
fish in ocean enclosures.
Fisheries and practices of
aquaculture and its industries are widespread in the Gulf Coast Plains and
Mississippi Valley area. Over 100,000 acres of fish farms produce 70% of the
nation’s catfish with the remaining also produced in the south. (Mayda pg. 279) While fisheries and aquaculture has been a
huge industry in the Gulf Coast area, hurricanes, oil spills and other
disasters have caused this industry to suffer huge declines.
In Massachusetts, most shellfish are
grown along the cape and the islands. Fish
hatcheries exist throughout the state. These fish farms can be private or
publicly owned leaving a wide variety of options for jobs and businesses.
About 11 million in revenue is earned from these businesses, mostly from
shellfish like oysters and quahogs. The
use of aquaponics, which is both a term and a concept combining aquaculture with
hydroponics, is a technique that is now integrated into most aquaculture
programs. Aquaponics as a system that allows water to
be filtered and the animal waste broken down into nitrogen based
products that are used by plants.
Umass Amherst Aquaponics Campus Program
Quahog Nursery Trays, Wellfleet, MA
Unintended Consequences
The Gulf Coast region has experienced many unintended consequences. The loss of wetlands due to human intervention is probably the most devastating. Most of these ecosystems were destroyed by the installation of artificial canals, dams, and levees.
Massachusetts has experienced a similar destruction of wetlands and ecosystems along the coastal areas and islands. Over the years the coastline and islands of Massachusetts has been completely altered by the draining of marshes and wetlands to build housing and industrial areas. While Massachusetts has not experienced environmental issues like “hypoxia” (nutrient pollution causing a lack of oxygen in a water source), the state does have some problems with “subsidence” along the coastal areas as well as the islands. The rate is believed to be about one foot per century so many people pass this off as nothing. My research indicates that very little is being done to help prevent this.
Diseases & Pests
In the Gulf Coast region, deadly diseases have been a major issue due to the subtropical wetlands climate. One of many reasons that these wetlands were altered was to try to control the diseases and pests that thrived in these areas. Wetlands and swamps are breeding grounds for insects and birds that spread diseases, included smallpox, malaria, dysentery, cholera and yellow fever. Louisiana, especially New Orleans, was particularly vulnerable to these disease issues because of the large number of swamps, wetlands and bayous that surrounded the area.
In Massachusetts the two most common
diseases due to pests and animals are the West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern
Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Mosquitoes transfer most of these diseases but
bird dropping cause it to spread as well. WNV is most common in
southeastern part of the state in wooded wetlands. The WNV was first cited
in 2000 in Massachusetts. From 2002-2011 there have been recorded about
68 cases of WNV with about 5 deaths.
While that doesn’t seem to be a lot, the state still monitors this every
year. EEE goes back to 1938 in Massachusetts
with about 100 cases in which about 1/3 result in death. While this seems to be of greater concern,
research indicates that EEE comes in cycles of about ten years so it isn’t as
much of a year threat as WNV. In
Massachusetts environmentalists and the government are working to try to
preserve the wetlands and the wildlife while also protecting people from these
diseases.
Although
there isn’t a whole lot else to link Massachusetts with the Gulf Coast area,
New Orleans, Louisiana and Provincetown, Massachusetts are two cities with a
lot in common. Of course New Orleans is a much larger city
with a population of about 370,000 while Provincetown has a year round
population of about 3,400. Both New Orleans and Provincetown have
less to do with industry, trade, natural resources and manufacturing and share
a strong economy based on recreation and tourism. Looking at figures for 2010, New Orleans had
just over 9,000,000 visitors in comparison to 4, 4000,000 for the Cape Cod area. It's hard to determine how many tourists went
to Provincetown specifically because many people visit Provincetown but don't
stay overnight. Both places have a strong artistic community as well as a
thriving gay and lesbian community. Provincetown Office of Tourism http://www.provincetowntourismoffice.org/index.aspx shows that Provincetown was the site of the first pilgrim landing
(not Plymouth Rock), has the oldest continuous arts colony and is the
birthplace of modern American Theater.
I’m sure about the pilgrim part but I think the latter to help explain
why gays and lesbians made Provincetown their home.
Carnival Parade, Provincetown, MA
Marti Gras, New Orleans, LA
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