Aquaculture
Also called: Fish farming · Topic: Primary Activities: Gathering, Pastoralism, Agriculture and Mining · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Aquaculture means farming fish, shellfish and seaweed in controlled waters such as ponds, tanks and sea pens. Farmers raise and feed the stock instead of catching wild fish. It is growing fast because wild fish stocks are being overfished. FAO's SOFIA 2024 report found that in 2022, aquaculture produced more aquatic animals than capture fishing for the first time. China is the largest producer and India is second (verify current).
Example
Around Kolleru Lake in the Godavari–Krishna delta of Andhra Pradesh, large areas have been turned into fish and shrimp ponds.
Don't confuse with
- Capture fishing: this means catching wild fish from seas, rivers and lakes. Nobody raises the stock.