What is aquaculture?
Aquaculture is the farming of freshwater and marine plants and animals. It is believed to have started over 4,000 years ago with the farming of freshwater carp in China. Now, aquaculture is practised all over the world, producing many species of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, algae and plants. A variety of farming methods are used, depending on where and what is being produced - ranging from floating cages, ponds and tanks to floating rope. Aquaculture now produces half of the world's seafood, and is set to overtake wild capture fisheries as a source of fish. It is the fastest growing food sector, expanding at about 7% per year.
Fish farming – do we need it?
Fish provides nearly three million people with at least 15% of their animal protein. As global population grows, so does our demand for food and protein. The demand for fish is estimated to increase by over 20% by 2015. Wild capture fisheries cannot supply this growing demand, and aquaculture has developed to fill the need. However, as with all food production there is an environmental impact, such as the utilisation of more fish for feed than fish produced.
Aquaculture methods and how they work?
To find out more about the various methods of aquaculture, use the following links to the MCS Fishonline website:
