Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants

Aquaculture - also known as fish or shellfish farming - refers to the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of plants and animals in all types of water environments including ponds, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Researchers and aquaculture producers are “farming” all kinds of freshwater and marine species of fish, shellfish, and plants. Aquaculture produces food fish, sport fish, bait fish, ornamental fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae, sea vegetables, and fish eggs. Aquaculture includes the production of seafood from hatchery fish and shellfish which are grown to market size in ponds, tanks, cages, or raceways. Stock restoration or “enhancement” is a form of aquaculture in which hatchery fish and shellfish are released into the wild to rebuild wild populations or coastal habitats such as oyster reefs. Aquaculture also includes the production of ornamental fish for the aquarium trade, and growing plant species used in a range of food, pharmaceutical, nutritional, and biotechnology products. Aquaculture is a relatively new industry in the western world as it’s only been in the last 30-40 years that it has become a major industry. Since the 1970’s, global aquaculture production has been growing rapidly at a rate of about 9% per year. Today, aquaculture produces at least 50% of the world’s seafood and will likely continue to grow its production into the foreseeable future as the demand for fish protein increases and the ability of wild fish stocks to meet the demand continues to dwindle due to overfishing and insufficient regulation. In fact, aquaculture is now the fastest-growing form of food production on the planet. Aquaculture is often called the “Blue Revolution” and carries the mantra that if you farm fish instead of catching them then you will relieve the pressure on wild stocks. This is the natural progression in food production and follows the terrestrial model where humans stopped hunting animals and started farming them in order to create a reliable food supply. However, there are limitations to the ideals of the “Blue Revolution” because pressure on wild fish stocks is only relieved if the same people that are catching the fish start farming them instead and if the fish that you are producing don’t require more wild fish to produce. This introductory covers issues associated with sustainable aquaculture development, culture systems, hatchery methods, and nutrition management.