Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic plants and animals under controlled conditions, primarily for commercial purposes. The origins of aquaculture date back thousands of years, as humans moved from hunting and gathering to farming, to meet the demands of a growing population.

Today, aquaculture is the fastest growing sector in the global food industry. This year, 2012, aquaculture is expected to provide half of the fish consumed worldwide, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

The FAO's 2010 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report states that in the past decade, aquaculture worldwide has dramatically increased, and has generally done so in a responsible way.

"Much of the aquaculture sector has developed sustainably in keeping with principles of an ecosystem approach to management and in accordance with the CCRF (Code of Conduct for Sustainable Fisheries)," reads the report. 

As many capture fisheries of the world reach their maximum sustainable yield, and world demand for seafood grows, aquaculture will continue to provide a sustainable source of affordable, readily-available high quality seafood for the world market.