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Aquaculture
is the farming of freshwater and saltwater organisms
including molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants.
Unlike fishing, aquaculture, also known as aquafarming,
implies the cultivation of aquatic populations under
controlled conditions. Mariculture refers to aquaculture
practiced in marine environments. Particular kinds of
aquaculture include algaculture (the production of kelp,
seaweed and other algae); fish farming; shrimp farming,
shellfish farming, and the growing of cultured
pearls.
Aquaculture has been used in
China since circa 2500 BC. When the waters lowered after
river floods, some fishes, mainly carp, were held in
artificial lakes. Their brood were later fed using
nymphs and silkworm feces, while the fish themselves
were eaten as a source of protein. By a fortunate
genetic mutation, this early domestication of carp led
to the development of goldfish in the Tang Dynasty.
The Hawaiian people practiced
aquaculture by constructing fish ponds. A remarkable
example from ancient Hawaii is the construction of a
fish pond, dating from at least 1,000 years ago, at
Alekoko. According to legend, it was constructed by the
mythical Menehune. The Japanese practiced cultivation of
seaweed by providing bamboo poles and, later, nets and
oyster shells to serve as anchoring surfaces for spores.
The Romans often bred fish in ponds.
In 2003, the total world
production of fisheries product was 132.2 million tonnes
of which aquaculture contributed 41.9 million tonnes or
about 31% of the total world production. The growth rate
of worldwide aquaculture is very rapid (> 10% per
year for most species) while the contribution to the
total from wild fisheries has been essentially flat for
the last decade.
Source: Wikipedia
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