Fish farming for Dummies

Canada: Once in a while you run into a web site on the Internet that states the obvious. wiseGEEK is such a site, and it could provide some useful contribution to Canadian schools- by explaining the basics of aquaculture

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Odd Grydeland

For someone that has been involved with the fish farming industry and its political and practical challenges for almost 30 years, the 200 some young contributors of wiseGEEK probably won’t provide very much in the form of new information. But where the web site is contributing a valuable service is when someone- anyone- can go there and get a down-to-earth explanation of a subject such as fish farming. “We are a team of researchers, writers and editors dedicated to providing short, clear and concise answers to common questions” states the web site. While not a detailed description, the explanation of what fish farming is basically about could provide useful information for teachers and parents;

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.

Fish farming also gives the farmers the unique ability to create a habitat for raising one specific type of fish. This not only allows them to be able to focus on the fish that is intended to be raised, but also removes the difficult process of separating out unwanted types of fish and sea life when harvesting a catch. Different types of sea creatures also need specific varieties of food to survive, and a fish farmer can cater to the needs of a specific species.

Since fish can go bad quickly because of bacteria, harvested fish must be processed quickly and in ways that have been designed over the years to keep the fish fresh for longer periods of time. Fish farming aids in this process because it is much simpler to transport the fish that are also more easily harvested.

Many countries throughout the world use fish farming to bolster their economies. China employs the use of fish farms more than any other. A few examples of other countries with many fish farms are the United States, Japan, Chile, India, and Thailand (and perhaps Norway should be included in this list- Ed. Note).