Ling Cao, Ph. D.

Research

Investigation into how to manage tradeoffs between China’s offshore aquaculture development and marine conservation

Increasing demand for seafood and stagnating domestic wild-capture fisheries in China have driven rapid growth of aquatic farming, or aquaculture, which now produces nearly 75% of the seafood consumed in the country. The rise in aquaculture has contributed to widespread degradation of coastal habitats. In response, the Chinese government is encouraging development of offshore aquaculture, in which farming occurs in open-ocean waters, but the full costs and benefits of this emerging practice remain unclear. Ling Cao provided scientific knowledge to improve the site selection, design, and management of offshore aquaculture amid China’s production scale-up.

Ling Cao

Cao collected environmental data in areas that were being developed for offshore aquaculture and used ecological and hydrodynamic models to better understand the industry’s impacts on water quality and marine food webs. She also conducted interviews with farm operators and local residents and gathered socioeconomic data to evaluate the economic viability and social costs and benefits to coastal communities of a large-scale shift to offshore production.

Cao’s analyses improved understanding of the effects of offshore aquaculture on ecosystems and livelihoods in China and helped inform development of practices that can achieve greater fish production while being economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable.

To learn more about Cao, read her bio.

See the full list of 2020 Pew marine fellows