A comprehensive and balanced examination of the debates that surround one of the most promising but controversial new industries in Canada.

Aquaculture – the farming of aquatic organisms – is one of the most promising but controversial new industries in Canada. Advocates believe aquaculture has the potential to solve environmental and food supply problems resulting from global overfishing. Critics argue that industrial-scale aquaculture poses unacceptable threats to human health, local communities, and the environment.

The Aquaculture Controversy in Canada is not about methods of aquaculture but rather an exploration of why the practice has been the centre of intense debate in Canada. Nathan Young and Ralph Matthews present the controversy as rooted in local and global conflicts over risk, development, rights, and knowledge. The inability of the industry to address the controversy’s complexities, they argue, has only fuelled the debate. Comprehensive and balanced, this book will appeal to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of one of the most contentious public policy and environmental issues facing the world today.

"The Aquaculture Controversy is a valuable contribution to a critical Canadian policy debate—one that is bound to inform future studies on the unfolding blue revolution and its ongoing Canadian impacts." - Literary Review of Canada

"Young’s and Matthews’ Aquaculture Controversy in Canada deserves special attention for at least two reasons: Firstly, because it is a book vigorously written to unfold the many layers of the aquaculture debate with Canada as a major player as well as — one is tempted to overstate — a “victim” of the global industry. Secondly, the book is an excellent example of good sociology" - Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 36(1) 2011

"This book offers intriguing insights into the debates about aquaculture and the reasons why the various parties, whether for or against, are so entrenched in their views. It should be of interest to current stakeholders in the industry as well as fisheries scientists and scholars." - International Journal of Maritime History, Vol XXIV No 1