Apart from agriculture, aquaculture is also important, most especially for human consumption.

What is Aquaculture?

Aquaculture has the same concept as agriculture, but with fish instead of plants or livestock. It is referred to as fish farming. It is the improvement of aquatic bodies in a controlled environment.

Aquaculture can happen globally. It can be for business, recreational, or state purpose. The rearing, harvesting, and breeding can occur in any aquatic environment like ponds, rivers, lakes, ocean, or the artificial “closed” systems on land.

Aquaculture serves as:

Food production for human production.

Regaining of populations of endangered species.

Fish culture for aquariums.

Production of baitfish.

Habitat restoration.

Wild stock enhancement.

How does it work?

There are various methods of seafood production. The methods of aquaculture differ from species to species. It starts first from hatching before it ends at your table.

The farm-to-table process includes the hatchery, feed mills, farm, and processor. The early stages happen from the breeding of fish to the rearing of fish. Once the animals are mature, they are carried to fields, where they are raised using provisions created at feed mills. The fishes are then transferred to a processing facility, packaged and sent to food retailers or supermarkets.

The aquatic industry is one of the fastest-growing food productions in the world. Due to the growing population, aquaculture is continuous in developing and producing food to meet the seafood demands of the people.

Aquaculture is the trend that continues to rise. The United States is the major consumer of aquaculture products. U.S. aquaculture supplies about 5 percent of the U.S. seafood supply, and United States marine aquaculture provides less than 1.5 percent.

Marine and Freshwater Aquaculture

Aquatic aquaculture is the rearing, harvesting, and breeding of oceanic species. It is the production of clams, oysters, mussels, salmon, algae, and shrimp. About 20 percent of U.S. production is marine aquaculture that consists primarily of shellfish.

Freshwater aquaculture is fish farming of catfish, tilapia, and trout for economic prospects by using reservoirs, lakes, ponds, rivers, and various inland waterways. Freshwater aquaculture is 70 percent of U.S seafood production.

Why is aquaculture important?

The overfishing of oceans and natural resources are continuously increasing as the years’ progress. Given the growing population, the demand for seafood supply is also growing. The overfishing of oceans causes the depletion of the ocean’s biological productivity, which means it cannot provide the seafood supply.

Aquaculture is the tool to provide and fill the gap of the seafood supply. Sustainable fish farming provides future generations with access to healthy and environmentally friendly protein options.

Seafood is the resource of protein. Fish has the highest protein resources compared to chicken, pork, and beef, and it also has the lowest feed conversion ratio.

One of the top priorities of the world is food security. The primary responsibility of aquaculture is to increase the amount of seafood available worldwide.

Aquaculture can improve not just our health but also our planet as long as we take care of the marine animals and responsible fish farming.