Main content
Course: AP®︎/College Environmental science > Unit 4
Lesson 5: Types of sustainable practicesAquaculture
Review your understanding of aquaculture in this free article aligned to AP standards.
Key points
- To meet the world’s growing demand for seafood, many fishing operations have turned to aquaculture.
- Aquaculture is the practice of raising fish, shellfish, and seaweed in controlled aquatic environments. Unlike wild-caught seafood, aquacultured seafood is bred, raised and harvested in enclosed pens and tanks.
- There are many advantages to aquaculture.
- Aquaculture can help alleviate pressure on overfished wild populations while still meeting demand for seafood.
- Aquaculture can be efficient, producing a large amount of food in a small area of water, and requiring a relatively small amount of fuel.
- Aquaculture may also help lower seafood prices and create job opportunities.
- If carried out in a way that does not consider environmental impacts, however, aquaculture can also have disadvantages.
- Wastewater released from aquaculture facilities may contain feces, uneaten food, and antibiotics, which can contaminate the environment.
- Aquacultured populations are often dense, which means disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and parasites spread easily. These pathogens can then spread to nearby wild populations.
- Fish that escape from aquaculture facilities may compete or breed with wild fish populations, potentially disrupting the local ecosystem.
Want to join the conversation?
what is a major disadvantage of aquaculture(6 votes)
They can have an unfavorable effect on the local environment. For example, antibiotics and chemicals that are used to treat fish. Fish farms can also produce large amounts of effluent, which can affect the immediate location.(6 votes)
- does aquaculture impacts water quality and benthic habitat needed for healthy wild populations(5 votes)
Depends, as said in the article, if aquaculture facilities doesn't consider environmental impacts, the water quality will significantly reduce.
There are multiple ways to reduce the impact, such as monitoring the surrounding environment, and have proper water management.(2 votes)
- What are the disadvantages of hot weather(2 votes)
The ground dries up all the water.(0 votes)
Why is aquaculture an efficent practice?(1 vote)
It decreases overfishing in wild areas, keeping species of fish from going extinct.(2 votes)
- whAT is the PERFect wheather(1 vote)
- There is no such thing as perfect weather. Different species thrive in different conditions.(2 votes)
- Why is aquaculture an efficent practice?(1 vote)
- What are the disadvantages of hot weather(1 vote)
hot weather increases the risk of heat stroke for elderly people and for those with frequent exercising habits, it also brings harm to dogs in local regions, since as you might know, cats fear cold and dogs fear heat.(1 vote)
- Why is aquaculture an efficient practice(0 votes)
Does aquaculture impacts water quality and benthic habitat needed for healthy wild populations?(0 votes)- what is a major disadvantage of aquaculture(0 votes)