Aquaculture
Introduced| English |
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| Aquaculture/ˈækwəkʌltʃə/ |
Farming the water
- Wild fish are being caught faster than they can breed.
- One answer is to raise fish on farms instead of catching them.
- This can supply seafood without emptying the oceans.
- Farming aquatic life is called aquaculture.
What aquaculture is
- Aquaculture 水产养殖 is raising fish, shellfish, or seaweed on purpose.
- It takes place in ponds, tanks, or netted pens in the sea.
- It is one of the fastest-growing ways to produce food.
- Much of the world's seafood now comes from farms, not wild catch.
Aquaculture is…
Aquaculture is raising fish, shellfish, or seaweed in ponds, tanks, or ocean pens.
The benefits
- Farmed fish provide a steady, reliable food supply.
- Growing fish on farms eases the pressure on wild stocks.
- It can be done close to where people live, cutting transport.
- Done well, it is a more sustainable source of protein than wild fishing.
A major benefit of aquaculture is that it…
Farming fish can supply seafood without catching wild fish, easing overfishing.
Crowded fish farms can pollute nearby water with concentrated fish ____.
Concentrated fish waste and leftover feed pollute the water and can cause algal blooms.
The costs
- Crowded fish pens produce concentrated waste that pollutes nearby water.
- Leftover feed and waste can trigger algal blooms.
- Diseases spread easily in crowded pens.
- Farmed fish that escape can harm wild populations by competing or spreading disease.
Benefit or cost of aquaculture?
Sort each effect of fish farming into a benefit or a cost.
Farmed fish that escape or spread disease can harm wild fish populations.
Escaped farmed fish and diseases from crowded pens can damage wild populations nearby.
Select all true statements about aquaculture.
Aquaculture brings both benefits and real costs. The other three are correct.
Aquaculture is a trade-off, like most food production. It can take pressure off wild fisheries — a real benefit — but concentrated waste, disease, and escapes can damage the surrounding ecosystem. Whether it helps or harms depends on how carefully the farm is run.
A coastal fish farm:
- Netted pens in a bay raise thousands of salmon, easing demand for wild fish.
- But the fish waste piles up on the seabed below, and disease spreads in the crowded pens.
- Managed carefully — with lower densities and good siting — the farm can supply food with far less damage.
Aquaculture is farming fish and other aquatic life in ponds, tanks, or ocean pens. Its benefits include a steady food supply and easing pressure on wild fish. Its costs include water pollution from concentrated waste, disease, and escaped fish harming wild populations. It is a trade-off, best managed with care.