Ethics In Aquaponics

I have had the discussion of ethics in my project many times; my project of aquaponics consists of keeping Tilapia fish to provide nutrients for the plants which will then filter the water and give it back to the fish. This could be argued as unethical because I am determining how an organism is going to spend his life (which is in captivity) for the use of my project. Yet we also have to consider many things in this equation; there are many points that could argue both sides such as we are at the top of the food chain and were simply doing what is primitive instincts tell us to do which is use animals below us to our benefit. Yet relating this back to my TOK theory of Utilitarianism which consists of taking the best actions for the well being or happiness of the most amount of people, in other words, what will make the greatest amount of people the happiest. With this information in mind now we look at the usage of Tilapia in aquaponics as just that; an action that is going to benefit the most amount of people. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate that sustainable crop growing is a project that can be done by anybody with access to recycled materials. And the effect that including organic crops into your diet will benefit you in many ways. The Tilapia fish are a tool to bring the largest amount of people the happiness so this concept aligns with this theory in that sense. This is just one perspective, it could be argued against from many different angles yet through this specific lens with all the facts laid out in front of us yes this is a morally correct.