Aquaculture: Types, Benefits and Importance (Fish Farming)

 Since seventy percent of the world’s surface is covered in water, humans have realized its importance as a resource. For this reason, one of the areas heavily exploited regarding the use of water as a resource is aquaculture, especially in the production of food as opposed to using the terrestrial land.

Aquaculture is the process of rearing, breeding and harvesting of aquatic species, both animals and plants, in controlled aquatic environments like the oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. It serves different purposes, including food production, restoration of threatened and endangered species populations, wild stock population enhancement, the building of aquariums, and fish cultures and habitat restoration. Here are the various types of aquaculture, as well as their importance.

“Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae, and other organisms.

Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Mariculture refers to aquaculture practiced in marine environments and in underwater habitats.”

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1. Mariculture

Mariculture is aquaculture that involves the use of seawater. It can either be done next to an ocean, with a sectioned off part of the ocean or in ponds separate from the ocean, but containing seawater all the same. The organisms bred here range from molluscs to seafood options like prawn and other shellfish, and even seaweed.

Growing plants like seaweed are also part of mariculture. These sea plant and animal species find many uses in manufacturing industries such as in cosmetics and jewelry where collagen from seaweed is used to make facial creams. Pearls are picked from molluscs and made into fashion items.

2. Fish Farming

Fish farming is the most common type of aquaculture. It involves the selective breeding of fish, either in freshwater or seawater, with the purpose of producing a food source for consumption. Fish farming is highly exploited as it allows for the production of a cheap source of protein.

Furthermore, fish farming is easier to do than other kinds of farming as fish are not care-intensive, but only requiring food and proper water conditions as well as temperatures. The process is also less land-intensive as the size of ponds required to grow some fish species such as tilapia is much smaller than the space required to grow the same amount of protein from beef cattle.