What is aquaculture?
Aquaculture is the growth of aquatic organisms in a controlled environment. For more than a decade, aquaculture, often called fish farming, has been the fastest growing sector of animal production worldwide, growing 91 percent from 1987 to 1997. In fact, only 5 percent of the salmon we eat today are from the wild. Aquaculture can also help to reduce overfishing on wild stocks.
I have been asked that question many times, and I am often tempted to answer “It means farming fish” that answer wouldn’t be wrong, but it isn’t totally right either. You can’t really give a just description of a diverse industry with a quick answer. Perhaps the following will better serve as a description of this industry. Aquaculture is an industry that encompasses the cultivation of aquatic plants and animals in controlled systems for commercial, recreation or resource management purposes. The most widely accepted short definition of Aquaculture is the cultivation of any aquatic (freshwater and marine) species of plant or animal. Aquaculture for food production is similar to other forms of animal husbandry, the animals are cared for, protected and fed with the intention of increasing their quantity and value. The holding and farming of fish also reduces the effort otherwise required to locate and capture supplies from wild stocks. Fish farming has boosted consumer confidence in prod
Aquaculture, in a nutshell, is aquatic farming. Different species of fish, shellfish, or aquatic plants are grown in fresh or salt water, primarily for use as food. In 1989, the State of Alaska banned finfish farming in an attempt to preserve the ecological balance and lessen the impact of supply in global markets. Finfish refer to species like salmon, halibut, black cod, etc. However, the state does allow shellfish aquaculture, which includes species like clams, oysters, scallops, and geoducks.
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- What is aquaculture?
