AGRI-LEARNING LAB

Aquaculture provides the world with about 53 million tons of fish each year and over 7 percent of the animal protein people consume. [1] It includes carp, Tilapia (a freshwater fish found in Africa), Pangasius (a Mekong Delta catfish), Atlantic Salmon, other true fish, mollusks (e.g. oysters), crustaceans (e.g. shrimp), various other animals (e.g. turtles and frogs), and algae. Sixty percent of aquaculture production is from freshwater bodies and the rest is from estuaries or the sea. Aquaculture is an important and growing source of protein for many developing nations and a substitute for wild-caught fish whose harvests have often been unsustainable — to the detriment of consumers relying on production and the species and ecosystems affected. Fish — both aquaculture and wild-caught — is particularly important in low-income food deficit countries [2] whose overall consumption of animal protein is comparatively low but whose share of fish in animal protein consumed is high (20.1 percent or more). Two priorities are critical to advancing aquaculture as a global public good: investment in Africa to expand its reach and assuring that aquaculture is environmentally and globally sustainable.

The rationale for the culture and management of aquatic animals and plants has remained unchanged for centuries. Fish farming has been a traditional means of producing food intended for immediate consumption at the village level. This requirement for locally-produced animal protein still persists in landlocked countries, or rural areas which do not have ready access to fish supplies, and there is still considerable scope for further development of simple non-industrial fish farming. Several countries (particularly in Africa and Latin America) have policies which give high priority to the promotion of improved food supplies for the poorest segment of the rural population

Technology is paving the way for many new types of aquaculture. Let's take a look at a few of the main forms. Fish farming is the primary form of aquaculture. Fish farming is cultivation of fish for commercial purposes in man-made tanks and other enclosures. The most common types of farmed fish are catfish, tilapia, salmon, carp, cod and trout. With the increase in over-fishing and the demand on wild fisheries, the fish-farming industry has grown in order to meet the demand for fish products

Aquaculture is the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, plants, algae, and other organisms in all types of water environments.