ZOO510 Handouts

Aquaculture

• The art of cultivating the natural produce of water.
• Farming implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, protection from predators, etc.
• Aquaculture therefore is Farming of aquatic organisms in natural or controlled marine or freshwater environments
• Both under controlled or semi-controlled conditions.
• Mariculture – (old name) marine or brackish water“
• Aquaculture encompass farming of aquatic organisms, including fish, mollusks, crustaceans and aquatic plants.”

History of Aquaculture

• Egyptian tombs have bas-relief (sculpture)of fish (tilapia) being removed from ponds – 2500 B.C.
• Carp were farmed in China as early as 2500 B.C.
• Wen Fang – founder of the Chou Dynasty is called the first fish farmer
• (during exile he kept records of fish growth and behavior)
• Fan Li – wrote first book on fish farming 475 B.C.
• Lee family – Were the first to polyculture carp during the Tang Dynasty 600 to 900 A.D.
• England – 1500 A.D. carp culture was introduced
• U.S. – first fish hatchery was in Oregon 1877

Commonly Cultured Fish species

• Food fish
• Many species, Catfish, Tilapia, Rainbow trout, Atlantic Salmon, shrimp, Shellfish, Striped Bass, Others
• Ornamental fish –Aquaria –Backyard ponds • Bait fish –Minnows –Shiners –Goldfish (carp) • Natural stock enhancement –Salmon –Trout –Black sea bass –Red Drum –Many others…