Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic organisms. Also known as aquafarming, it is different from fishing in that the fish and other aquatic populations available are being controlled under specific conditions.

The practice of aquaculture has been used since 1925 in Japan. Here, in this small island country, waters would flood the rivers. After these waters lowered, some fish, specifically carp, would be caught and put into artificial lakes. These fish would then be bred using nymphs and and the feces of silkworms. During this time, genetic mutation occurred and this led to the early domestication of carp.

The Japanese weren't the only ones practicing this during this time, the people of Hawaii also practiced aquafarming. The Hawaiians did this by creating fish ponds that originally came from ancient Hawaiian practices. The design of this kind of aquaculture practice dates back from at least one thousand years ago.

Aquaculture didn't become a regular practice in the United States until the late 20th century. Yet, the country had people getting involved beginning around the mid-1800s. Many California residents began harvesting kelp during the early 1900s. During the world wars they made many legal pushes at managing the supply of the kelp. They produced it as wartime resource to help the country.

Earlier in the U.S, in 1859, scientist Stephen Aisnworth began experiments on brook trout. Five years later, Seth Green created a commercial fish hatching company that was based near Rochester, New York. Just two more years later, with the help of Dr. W.W. Fletcher, artificial fish hatching was established in both the U.S. and Canada.

There are many different kinds of aquaculture. There is mariculture, algaculture, fish, shellfish and shrimp farming, and the growing of cultured pearls.

Algaculture is the farming of algae. Most of the algae cultivated is in the category of microalgae. But macroalgae, which is more commonly known as seaweed, is not grown on a large scale due to its size and its need for a specifically unique environment.

Fish farming is the main form of aquaculture. This form involves raising fish in enclosures, usually tanks, for food. Typical fish raised are tilapia, cod, salmon, carp, catfish, and trout. Fish farming can offer an alternative solution to the overfishing problem that has been created recently by fisheries and commercial fishing.

There is a more recently-known kind of aquaculture, called integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. This form is a practice where organic and inorganic matter is mixed. This method creates more stabilized and balanced systems. This practice is known as a more environmentally sustainable, economically stable, and socially acceptable practice over other practices.

By: David Tang

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Amber Singleton is a writer for Magnabait.com, which is the home of the Magnabait, which is the latest in fishing technology. Unlike some of the best fishing lures, Magnabait works by repeating several different signals to attract fish, such as bass, without scaring them away. It then magnifies its effect by combining the signals. These signals capture the attention of fish and helps fishers catch fish faster and more efficiently.