4.5. Legal designation of zones for aquaculture

The allocation of aquaculture zones is the final step in zoning and is the legal and normative process that creates an area(s) dedicated to aquaculture activities, whereby any future development thereof must respect this zone.

Aquaculture zones should be established within the remit of local or national aquaculture plans and legislative frameworks with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of aquaculture development and of promoting equity and resilience of interlinked social and ecological systems. Regulations and/or restrictions should be assigned to each zone in accordance with their degree of suitability for aquaculture activities and carrying capacity limit. Zones to be allocated to aquaculture activities can be classified, inter alia, as “areas suitable for aquaculture activities”, “areas unsuitable for aquaculture activities”, and “areas for aquaculture activities with particular regulation and/or restriction”. To this end, guidelines should be developed by governments according to the specific location.

Zoning plans guide the granting or denial of individual permits for the use of space. This process includes additional elements of implementation, enforcement, monitoring, evaluation, research, public participation and financing, all of which must be present to carry out effective management over time.

Salmon farming in a remote fjord in southern Chile

The location of a salmon farm must consider the environmental carrying capacity of the recipient waterbody and the local social context in order to be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.
Courtesy of Doris Soto