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by: Michelle Nghiem ABSTRACT Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the breeding, rearing and harvesting of plants and animals in all types of water environments (i.e. ponds, rivers, lakes and oceans). There are many kinds of aquaculture such as fish farming, shrimp farming, oyster farming, mariculture and algaculture. The first forms of aquaculture dates back to the 5 th century B.C. where ancient civilizations practiced fish farming. Over time, the development of aquaculture has led to the cultivation of a variety of species, both marine and freshwater natives. Aquaculture has also been studied for both its positive and negative ecological and economical impacts. HISTORY Fisheries have long been the basis for human settlements and coastal development. The cultivation of marine species is an ancient practice that dates back to the ancient civilizations. The Chinese, Egyptians and Romans practiced some type of fish culturing that has continued in some form to today. Modern fish farming was first introduced by a German farmer in 1733. He was able to successfully gather fish eggs, fertilize them and raised them after they hatched. As scientists learn and discover more over the years, new aquaculture techniques are developed. ECONOMICAL IMPACT In many countries around the world, fish export contributes to a large part of the economy. As a result, aquaculture and fish farming have proven to be a valuable contribution to the economic development of coastal areas. The sight of fishing activities are attractive to many people – both locals and tourists – and has been shown to have aesthetic value. Also, the infrastructure developed from the fish farms have triggered further developments in other parts of the economy such as tourism and agriculture. Aquaculture has also created an increase in jobs, not only in fish farming, but in related occupations such as fishing, boat-building and net-making. Although aquaculture has many positive economical impacts, there are also some negative ones. An increase in activity has been shown to negatively affect the development of other economic activities. For example, the destruction of coastal wetlands have negatively impacted tourism. ECOLOGICAL IMPACT Though originally created to improve and protect fish production and water environments, aquaculture has come under a lot of scrutiny from critics arguing that aquaculture is doing much more damage to the environment than is helping it. First, the excessive chemicals that are used to treat fish farms have become a great concern as they can create unintended dangers to not only marine organisms, but also to human health. Second, diseases and viruses that are transferred between the farmed and wild species also pose a risk not only to the wild population, but other farms as well. Waste products from farms, such as feces, uneaten food and dead fish, are also flushed into the surrounding waters. This contaminates the water supply and increases the levels of nutrients in the water, which can lead to oxygen-deprived waters that stress the aquatic life. Because some of these farms are built on the seafloor, the build-up from these sediments have also been shown to affect the benthic communities. Additionally, wetlands and mangroves have been destroyed to create farms and feed sources for these farms, which presents yet another issue because of their negative effect on land conservation efforts. BIBLIOGRAPHY • "Advocacy for Animals." Advocacy for Animals The Pros and Cons of Fish Farming Comments. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/ advocacy/the-pros-and-cons-of-fish-farming/>. • "FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture - Aquaculture & the Environment." FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture - Aquaculture & the Environment. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/14894/en>. • "Farmed Seafood." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund. Web. 17 May 2015. <http:// www.worldwildlife.org/industries/farmed-seafood>. • Stickney, Robert R. Aquaculture in the United States. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1996. Print. • "What Is Aquaculture?" Office of Aquaculture. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/ what_is_aquaculture.html>. MARINE VS FRESHWATER SPECIES Marine aquaculture is the production of species that are native to the ocean. Some species include oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp and salmon. This can take place in the ocean through the use of seafloor cages, or in on-land manmade systems such as ponds and tanks. Freshwater aquaculture is the production of species that are native to rivers, lakes and streams. Some species include catfish, trout, tilapia and bass. This primarily takes place in ponds and on-land manmade systems as well. OCEAN CAGE TANKS USED FOR AQUACULTURE AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION GROWTH GRAPH FROM THE FOOD & AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF UNITED NATIONS, 2011 FARMED SALMON (MARINE SPECIES) RAISED IN A SEAFLOOR CAGE IN THE OCEAN
