Definition:To farm aquatic organisms like fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants in a controlled environment. It is also called Aquafarming.
Aquaculture is one of the quickest growing food industries in the world!
NOAA- Marin Aquaculture: A Promising Future
Why We Need Aquaculture:Aquaculture provides us with many things including improved nutrition and food security for places around the world. Since population grows at a rapid pace, more people are demanding seafood. It is the most resource-efficient way of producing protein. The fish that are part of aquaculture are in better health due to the fact that they convert much of the fat from their bodies than land animals.
In this table, you can still see that Salmon, the most intensive farmed fish is far more efficient than the others.
Protein
Feed Conversion Ratio
Salmon
1.2
It takes 1.2 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of salmon
Beef
8.7
It takes 8.7 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of beef
Pork
5.9
It takes 5.9 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of pork
Chicken
1.9
It takes 1.9 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of chicken
“With capture fisheries production stagnating, major increases in fish food production are forecast to come from aquaculture. Taking into account the population forecast, an additional 27 million tonnes of production will be needed to maintain the present level of per capita consumption in 2030.” United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization
How Does Aquaculture Work? ~Young plants and animals are captured, then grown up in an aquaculture system.
~Research is done on the reproduction of these creatures in captivity.
The Drawbacks of Aquaculture The main issues are the impact of taken organisms on local ecosystems along with pollution, diseases, and parasites that could leak into surrounding water.
What is Grown Here? Many aquatic organisms including many types of fish, shellfish(shrimps, clams, oysters, scallops) as well as some species of algae and aquatic plants. The largest value is of salmon and shrimp. Not all species are good for aquaculture though.
Places Grown
-China is the largest aquaculture manufacturer in the world. -Canada produces salmon, clams, oysters, scallops and trout but are being grown in smaller quantities. -Catfish is grown here. -Mozambique is the main producer of tilapia in small freshwater ponds.
Where Aquaculture Happens
~Aquaculture can be completed in an open ocean, lake, river or a more stable system man-made on land. Open systems are large net enclosures or cages that float on water for fish, suspended baskets or ropes for shellfish or algae/plants. Future systems are planning to create a system that rolls around on the ocean floor.
~Systems on land can be from concrete ponds or reservoirs or plastic, fiberglass tanks. They can flow water out and in return receive an organism, recirculate so the water goes through a treatment to be re-used, or both. In the future they also plan to make a system that floats in water but have a controlled water intake and outlet which would be used for fish and shrimp.
What Jobs Does Aquiculture Support?
It supports many for the seafood chain. Aquaculture jobs are year round in more rural areas.
What Do Farmed Fish Eat? They are fed specific diets to fit their nutritional needs. It’s usually in a pellet form, kind of like dry dog food.The feed includes vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and some fats.
Intro to Aquaculture
Definition: To farm aquatic organisms like fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants in a controlled environment. It is also called Aquafarming.
Aquaculture is one of the quickest growing food industries in the world!
NOAA- Marin Aquaculture: A Promising Future
Why We Need Aquaculture: Aquaculture provides us with many things including improved nutrition and food security for places around the world. Since population grows at a rapid pace, more people are demanding seafood.
It is the most resource-efficient way of producing protein. The fish that are part of aquaculture are in better health due to the fact that they convert much of the fat from their bodies than land animals.
In this table, you can still see that Salmon, the most intensive farmed fish is far more efficient than the others.
“With capture fisheries production stagnating, major increases in fish food production are forecast to come from aquaculture. Taking into account the population forecast, an additional 27 million tonnes of production will be needed to maintain the present level of per capita consumption in 2030.” United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization
How Does Aquaculture Work?
~ Young plants and animals are captured, then grown up in an aquaculture system.
~ Research is done on the reproduction of these creatures in captivity.
The Drawbacks of Aquaculture
The main issues are the impact of taken organisms on local ecosystems along with pollution, diseases, and parasites that could leak into surrounding water.
What is Grown Here?
Many aquatic organisms including many types of fish, shellfish(shrimps, clams, oysters, scallops) as well as some species of algae and aquatic plants. The largest value is of salmon and shrimp. Not all species are good for aquaculture though.
Places Grown
-China is the largest aquaculture manufacturer in the world.
-Canada produces salmon, clams, oysters, scallops and trout but are being grown in smaller quantities.
-Catfish is grown here.
-Mozambique is the main producer of tilapia in small freshwater ponds.
Where Aquaculture Happens
~Aquaculture can be completed in an open ocean, lake, river or a more stable system man-made on land.
Open systems are large net enclosures or cages that float on water for fish, suspended baskets or ropes for shellfish or algae/plants.
Future systems are planning to create a system that rolls around on the ocean floor.
~Systems on land can be from concrete ponds or reservoirs or plastic, fiberglass tanks. They can flow water out and in return receive an organism, recirculate so the water goes through a treatment to be re-used, or both.
In the future they also plan to make a system that floats in water but have a controlled water intake and outlet which would be used for fish and shrimp.
What Jobs Does Aquiculture Support?
It supports many for the seafood chain. Aquaculture jobs are year round in more rural areas.
What Do Farmed Fish Eat?
They are fed specific diets to fit their nutritional needs. It’s usually in a pellet form, kind of like dry dog food.The feed includes vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and some fats.
Citations:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/faqs/faq_aq_101.html#3whydo
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/aquaculture.htm
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CC8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldfish.org%2FGCI%2Fgci_assets_moz%2FFact%2520Card%2520-%2520Aquaculture.pdf&ei=Fq9SVMj9E4qvyATewIDoDw&usg=AFQjCNE1-UxDylBpZPDQ3DArJyzzxy4eSg&sig2=w_O8J3qV1XWEbDRM_vd2zA