"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)."
The evaluation and management of the environmental impact of aquaculture, including its carbon footprint, water waste management, and land use.
Aquaculture: The farming of aquatic plants and animals for food, fuel or other purposes.
Environmental impacts of aquaculture: Includes effects on water quality, biodiversity, and the health and welfare of wild and farmed fish.
Water use and management: The efficient use and management of water resources is critical for sustainable aquaculture production.
Energy use and efficiency: Optimizing energy inputs in aquaculture systems can reduce environmental impacts and improve economic efficiency.
Feed and feed management: The selection and management of feed ingredients are crucial for sustainable aquaculture production.
Genetics and breeding: Developing improved strains of aquaculture species can enhance production efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
Disease control and management: Effective disease control measures are crucial for preventing and mitigating the spread of disease in aquaculture systems.
Site selection and zoning: Selecting appropriate sites for aquaculture and zoning regulations are important for minimizing environmental impacts.
Integrated aquaculture systems: Combinations of fish, algae, and other components can create sustainable aquaculture systems with minimal environmental impact.
Policy and governance: Appropriate policies and governance regimes are needed to ensure sustainable development and responsible management of aquaculture activities.
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS): RAS systems recirculate and filter water in a closed-loop to create a controlled environment for fish to flourish. RAS reduces the amount of water required and, as a result, also limits the amount of fish waste discharged into the environment.
Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA): IMTA is the process of cultivating different species of fish or marine plants that work symbiotically to improve the overall health of the farm. For example, fish waste can be used to fertilize sea vegetables, which in turn purify the water.
Sustainable feeds: Aquaculture relies heavily on fishmeal and fish oil to feed farmed fish. However, sustainably sourced plant-based and insect-based feeds can offer a better alternative. This practice helps conserve wild fish stocks and also reduces pollution caused by overfishing.
Responsible fishing: Sustainable fishing practices that allow fish populations to replenish are crucial for maintaining the biodiversity and ecological balance of aquatic systems. Adopting responsible fishing practices helps in maintaining healthy fish stocks.
Habitat protection: Aquaculture farms must be deployed in regions with ecological foresight, and through conservation practices, ensuring minimal impact on surrounding habitats.
Efficient energy use: Aquaculture requires a substantial amount of energy for things like running water pumps and cooling systems. Utilizing renewable energy sources such as solar and wind can be helpful in reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint.
Waste Management: Proper disposal of fish waste, such as using it as fertilizers for plants, can be beneficial for the environment. However, if not handled properly, waste can pollute the environment and damage aquatic ecosystems.
Disease control: Disease outbreaks can have significant consequences on fish farms and wild fish populations. Advancements in disease diagnosis technology and the development of vaccines help maintain the health of the fish population and control disease outbreaks.
Social Management-how the aquaculture is managed, treated, and when maintained to ensure social sustainability of the communities around, both domestic and international.: Social Management in the context of Agriculture and Environmental Sustainability refers to the strategies and practices implemented to ensure the responsible and equitable management, treatment, and maintenance of aquaculture operations, ensuring the social sustainability of local and global communities.
"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."