What is Fish Farming?
Fish farming, also known as aquaculture, is the process of raising fish in an enclosed area for use in the fishing industry. A fish farm can be built on land or over naturally occurring bodies of water, such as off of an ocean shore. Within the body of water a wide variety of fish, shellfish and aquatic plants can be raised. Every year fish farms throughout the world produce over 65 million tons (59 million MT) of many varieties of sea life for harvesting.
A fish farm does not necessarily have to be built, and a body of water such as a small pond or lake can be used as a fish farm. Conversely, many fish farms are highly technological and man made facilities are designed to control every aspect possible for raising aquatic life. The purpose of these kinds of fish farming structures is to decrease the possibility of many outside factors, such as contaminants and predators, while creating an environment within which the fish will thrive. Fish farms can also be important for maintaining endangered wild fish populations, such as salmon and trout, by growing them and then returning them to the wild.
