Aquaculture system

Abstract

A defining moment in the development of aquaculture was the demonstration that fish could be induced to spawn artificially. This finding, elaborated in Brazil in 1934, drove aquaculture forward by eliminating the need to collect wild seed or broodstock. This freedom brought about the revolution that was needed to support the rapid growth of the industry on a global scale. The development of methods for rearing larvae and controlling the reproductive cycle of aquatic species in general has created a hugely diverse industry of significant economic value. As researchers have discovered more about the life cycles of cultured aquatic organisms and the stimuli that encourage their development, aquaculturists have adapted their systems to gain greater control over production-related factors: growth, sexual maturation, reproduction, disease control and immunology. More recent has been the trend towards ensuring the safety and quality of the final product as well as developments in the culture of novel, non-food organisms. Today, aquaculture is practiced in fresh, brackish, and marine waters, in tropical through arctic conditions, in inland lakes and ponds through to large offshore cage operations. [Extract]