"Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lotus)."
Study of aquatic organisms and their farming.
Water Quality Management: The maintenance of water quality parameters within a suitable range for the growth and health of aquatic organisms.
Fish Nutrition: The science of understanding the nutrient requirements of fish, and the selection and preparation of feeds to support optimal growth and reproduction.
Fish Health Management: The identification, prevention and treatment of diseases and parasites affecting farmed fish populations.
Aquatic Ecology: The study of the relationships between aquatic organisms and their environment, including the impacts of aquaculture on wild species and ecosystems.
Aquatic Animal Welfare: The consideration and promotion of the mental and physical well-being of farmed aquatic animals, including their housing, transport and handling.
Aquaponics: A system that combines aquaculture and hydroponics, whereby fish and plants are grown together in a recirculating system.
Breeding and Genetics: The application of genetic principles to breeding programs in order to develop desirable traits in farmed aquatic species, such as faster growth, disease resistance, and better meat quality.
Environmental Sustainability: The evaluation and management of the environmental impact of aquaculture, including its carbon footprint, water waste management, and land use.
Marketing and Business: The understanding and application of marketing principles and business practices to successfully run an aquaculture farm, including market research, branding, pricing and distribution.
"Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater, brackish water and saltwater populations under controlled or semi-natural conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish."
"Mariculture, commonly known as marine farming, refers specifically to aquaculture practiced in seawater habitats and lagoons, as opposed to freshwater aquaculture."
"Pisciculture is a type of aquaculture that consists of fish farming to obtain fish products as food."
"It is an environmental source of food and commercial product which help to improve healthier habitats and used to reconstruct the population of endangered aquatic species."
"Technology has increased the growth of fish in coastal marine waters and open oceans due to the increased demand for seafood."
"Aquaculture can be conducted in completely artificial facilities built on land (onshore aquaculture), as in the case of fish tanks, ponds, aquaponics or raceways, where the living conditions rely on human control such as water quality (oxygen), feed, temperature."
"Alternatively, they can be conducted on well-sheltered shallow waters nearshore of a body of water (inshore aquaculture), where the cultivated species are subjected to relatively more naturalistic environments, or on fenced/enclosed sections of open water away from the shore (offshore aquaculture), where the species are either cultured in cages, racks or bags, and are exposed to more diverse natural conditions such as water currents, diel vertical migration, and nutrient cycles."
"According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), aquaculture "is understood to mean the farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Farming implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, protection from predators, etc. Farming also implies individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated."
"The reported output from global aquaculture operations in 2019 was over 120 million tonnes valued at US$274 billion."
"However, there are issues with the reliability of the reported figures."
"In current aquaculture practice, products from several kilograms of wild fish are used to produce one kilogram of a piscivorous fish like salmon."
"Particular kinds of aquaculture include fish farming, shrimp farming, oyster farming, mariculture, pisciculture, algaculture (such as seaweed farming), and the cultivation of ornamental fish."
"Particular methods include aquaponics and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, both of which integrate fish farming and aquatic plant farming."
"The FAO describes aquaculture as one of the industries most directly affected by climate change and its impacts."
"Some forms of aquaculture have negative impacts on the environment, such as through nutrient pollution or disease transfer to wild populations."