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Aquaculture Systems

Global Aquaculture

Aquaculture—the farming of aquatic organisms—now provides over 50% of the fish consumed by humans, with global production exceeding 120 million tons annually (2022). China alone produces over 60% of the world's farmed seafood. Major cultured species include carps (the most produced group globally, farmed in freshwater ponds across Asia), salmon (Atlantic salmon dominance in Norway, Chile, Scotland, and Canada), shrimp (primarily in Southeast Asia and Latin America), tilapia (widely farmed in tropical and subtropical regions), and bivalves (mussels, oysters, clams—filter feeders requiring no added feed). Aquaculture ranges from low-technology subsistence ponds to high-technology recirculating systems, with enormous variation in environmental impact, productivity, and profitability.

Aquaculture Systems

Global Aquaculture

Aquaculture—the farming of aquatic organisms—now provides over 50% of the fish consumed by humans, with global production exceeding 120 million tons annually (2022). China alone produces over 60% of the world's farmed seafood. Major cultured species include carps (the most produced group globally, farmed in freshwater ponds across Asia), salmon (Atlantic salmon dominance in Norway, Chile, Scotland, and Canada), shrimp (primarily in Southeast Asia and Latin America), tilapia (widely farmed in tropical and subtropical regions), and bivalves (mussels, oysters, clams—filter feeders requiring no added feed). Aquaculture ranges from low-technology subsistence ponds to high-technology recirculating systems, with enormous variation in environmental impact, productivity, and profitability.