Aquaculture, while often confused
with hydroponics, vastly differs from using water to grow land-based plants.
Aquaculture is the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of aquatic plants and
animals in controlled environments. This process can take place in ponds,
raceways, or pens/cages in lakes or oceans.
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| Pen/Cage Method |
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| Raceway method |
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| Pond Method |
- Pond aquaculture is the most common form and is usually found inland or near mangroves. This method requires the removal of dirt and a water source to fill the pond. Most pond aquacultures grow carp, catfish, shrimp, and tilapia.
- Raceway aquaculture uses the running water of a river or stream to contain and grow the different types of fish. Rainbow trout is the most common fish raised in this condition.
- Pen/cage aquaculture can be found throughout the world and require much more capitol to establish. One benefit of this method is that fish can grow in their natural habitat. Bass, Salmon, and Pompano are the most common fish types grown using the pen/cage method.
Aquaculture is the fast growing
food producing sector and currently accounts for 50% of the world’s food fish.
It is estimated that by 2030, globally, we will need 400 million tons of fish
to feed the population. However, in 2012 we only produced 138 million tons. Currently,
Asia is the main producer of aquaculture-raised fish, with China accounting for
63% of all production. The rest of the Asia accounts for 26% of production,
leaving the rest of the world claiming only 11% of production.
Aquaculture can be extremely
beneficial to the populations and groups of people who use it. One benefit of aquaculture
is that it offsets the shortfalls in natural fisheries. This will help us meet
the additional food requirements of our growing population. Fish are a great
source of nutrition for households, and with the increased supply of fish, more
people will be able to add this great source of protein into their diet. Additionally,
aquaculture brings in much need opportunities for employment and income. It was
estimated that in 2010, 55 million people were connected and engaged in some
part of fish production using aquaculture.
While a new area to some students,
such as myself, aquaculture is the future of aquatic animal and plant
production globally. Using this method
of production more people will have the ability to access and afford fish. Additionally,
when this method is introduced into other countries it will have the ability to
build the economic, creating increased health outcomes and better quality of
life.
This is a very interesting topic, Hannah! I am amused by the fact that this can all occur in water and I think that it will be a huge breakthrough to have this as an option for the future. I think it is especially important because the majority of the world is water, so in order to support the growing population, we have to find things like this to utilize all of our possible resources. This is inspiring and hopeful and gives me faith that one day we will be able to better support this insanely large population of ours.
ReplyDeleteCool! Definitely something to read more about-- I'm sure this was explained in the article, but I am still curious how this is different than other harvesting methods? Because of the replenishment? One obvious advantage is that food is no longer as tied to land and space (more so with the cage/pen or raceway method). It is better for the environment? What are the material and knowledge requirements? Cool stuff!
ReplyDeleteDavid, the harvesting methods are different for each type, but in the most basic sense it involves the netting of these fish for sale. The lecture I heard on this topic was more towards the positive side of aquaculture, but if it is best for the environment is still yet to be determined. One worry with the cage/pen method is that infection/disease can become present in the caged fish. These diseases can then be transferred into the native fish population. Another worry is the environmental damage that is required for starting an aquaculture. In some areas this would require moving/digging up fertile ground and natural plant life.
DeleteHannah, I'm curious if you're class discussed GMO species in aquaculture? An ecology course I took last year had us examine the potential harms of GMO salmon in fisheries. The questions basically were: if they escaped the controlled environment, could they breed with native salmon or pressure native salmon to extinction? Aquaculture does offer some ecological benefits. By reducing the need to capture wild fish and further deplete fisheries, producing fish for food in controlled environments can play a part in helping to revive threatened resources! Despite ecological concerns, this is a really cool area of development in the fight against global hunger! Especially for coastal communities with limited land suitable for traditional agriculture.
ReplyDeleteWhile this may be presented as "new", this has been going on for quite some time in many areas of the globe. Right now, the commercial ventures are taking it big and that is drawing attention. As with use of many other natural resources, the world has still not drafted a common agreed to code of conduct/ protocol, nor there are networked country level watchdogs. The other important thing is, many of the outputs end up in premium stores in developed countries - are exported. So, the key is how do we ensure that most aquaculture benefits the local community...
ReplyDelete