Aquaculture is a farming technique designed to offset commercial fishing practices due to the high demand for these products. This is the practice of growing and tending aquatic plants, animals, and other organisms for commercial, recreational, and scientific purposes. These are grown to supply not only markets with food, but fish for bait, the pet industry, sport fisheries, ornamental practices, and food for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. This is done in both coastal and freshwater settings around the globe- not just here in the US thanks to more modern technological advancements. The growth of the aquaculture industry has also been linked to the limited amount of natural supply of ocean resources to meet increasing demands for fish and shellfish.
With the positives this brings, however, to help meet demands for the fishing industry, some negatives have risen over the years. One of these concerns is pollution and contamination of local water sources. Waste production within these farms is disposed of in non-effective ways including contaminating local water sources. This has improved over the years with advancements in technology and research, but there are still concerns with waste management. This is where practices like aquaponics become desirable. As you will read below, this practice helps manage waste more efficiently and decreases waste production.
Aquaponics combines aquaculture with hydroponics allowing farming of fish and crops together. Instead of using water for fish farming and crop production, water is recycled from the fish tanks and used to water crops. By recirculating and filtering the water in this system between the crops and fish, it helps prevent water waste and pollution. This also allows the crops and plants to have access to natural fertilizers and bacteria. These closed-looped systems also help prevent disease spreading among the fish populations increasing the fish’s survival rates. While the idea of farming fish and crops together may not be new, the 1970s and 1980s brought about aquaculture research which helped develop more modern ideas. Recent advances have made it possible for this farming to be done year-round, increasing the industry’s productivity.