Aquaculture Facts

Aquaculture is the farming of fish, crustaceans, aquatic plants, and more to produce food and other commercial products, as well as replenish wild stocks and rebuild populations of threatened and endangered species. It’s an environmentally responsible source of food and products.

Over half of the seafood eaten worldwide come from Aquaculture.
Fish farming supplies most of the world’s seafood, including shrimp, salmon, tilapia, catfish, mollusks, crabs & lobsters, seaweeds, carps, and salmonids.
Aquaculture has grown a steady 8.4% since 1970.
About 580 aquatic species are farmed around the world.
The most grown species worldwide are carp, salmon, tilapia and catfish.
Fish are raised in tanks, fish ponds, or ocean enclosures.
A fish hatchery raises juvenile fish to be released into the wild to supplement wild species.
China is the largest producer for farmed seafood.
Washington, Mississippi, and Alabama are the 3 top producing states, producing about 40% the nation’s aquaculture sales. Washington produces salmon and mollusks, while Mississippi and Alabama lead production in catfish.
Southeast Asia, mostly China and Thailand, grows about 75% of the world’s farmed shrimp. The rest is grown in Latin America, mostly in Brazil.
About 80% of all farmed shrimp are just two species of shrimp, Pacific white shrimp and the giant tiger prawn.
Egyptians were raising fish more than 4,000 years ago.
Commercial shrimp farming started in the 1970s and has grown significantly since.
Over 70% of the world’s wild fish stock has been depleted due to overfishing, which is why aquaculture has become a necessity. It ensures the demand for fresh fish for consumption is met, as well as helping to replenish wild stock.
Aquaculture can be eco-friendly and profitable if following environmentally responsible methods.