BAL & the Environment

The application of the technology and knowledge gained from the Research and Development (R&D) program into a commercial operation has resulted in a significant reduction of the potential negative environmental impacts that can occur in the aquaculture industry.

Environmental concerns which are addressed at BAL include:

• Habitat alteration
• Use and discharge of water
• Social considerations
• Solid waste disposal
• Impact to local hydrology
• The development of an environmental management plan

As opposed to traditional aquaculture ventures, which have significantly altered the natural environment, BAL has been designed and developed to keep the natural features of the property intact, using them as buffer zones and for the maintenance of the ecological integrity of the area.

A potential impact normally associated with the aquaculture industry is the abstraction of large volumes of seawater and its subsequent discharge into receiving water bodies including lagoons and the sea. BAL's method of production eliminates the need for constant abstraction of seawater due to its Zero Water Exchange cycle system. Zero Water Exchange, in conjunction with four (4) acre ponds, allows for efficient pond and water quality management. This tight management eliminates the need to use chemicals and antibiotics to control algae, bacteria, viral loads, and other pathogens.

The management of BAL stressed their commitment to maintaining Belize's coastal resources. The facility is built with various ponds and canals ensuring that virtually all water passes through settling ponds prior to discharge or reuse, thus protecting mangroves, rivers, streams, underground reservoirs, and the coastline.

In a recent National Geographic video clip, Belize Aquaculture, Ltd. was featured and presented as an environmentally sound project. The scope of the film was the destruction of mangroves in Belize, and it complimented BAL for its good practices in the protection of the environment.

"In conclusion, because the system is highly intensive and more 'environmentally friendly' than traditional aquaculture systems, we are convinced that the Belize Aquaculture production system, or some modification of it, will very likely be the aquaculture system of the future."

Excerpt from, Evaluation of Belize Aquaculture, Ltd: A Superintensive Shrimp Aquaculture System , by Claude E. Boyd, Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures Auburn University , Alabama 36849 USA , and Jason Clay, World Wildlife Fund 1250 Twenty-Fourth Street, NW Washington , D.C. 20037 USA , in a report prepared for the World Bank, Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific, World Wildlife Fund and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Consortium Program on Shrimp Farming and the Environment