Oceans 11 – Dalesandro
Aquaculture Handout – Questions
Instructions: Read the “history of aquaculture” article below and answer the questions below. Pass your completed question sheet to Mr. Dalesandro before Quiz #4 (Friday, January 15th).
Value: 1 bonus point on Quiz #4.
Questions:
1) How long has aquaculture been practiced? List some ancient cultures who
farmed fish.
2) List two significant developments that allowed aquaculture to be successful.
3) List five fish, three other animals, and two plants that were farmed in
ancient societies.
4) What problems have been created by the growing human population?
5) What is sustainable development? Why is aquaculture considered sustainable?
6) List two current research topics in aquaculture.
7) List all three types of modern aquaculture systems.
8) Write a brief (5-sentence) response to this reading.
Oceans 11 – Dalesandro
Handout – History of Aquaculture
An aquaculture tank in Hawaii.
Put simply, aquaculture is the farming of freshwater and marine plants and animals. All aquaculture is done in water, and the term also implies that a degree of control is exercised on the conditions of the fish rearing.
Aquaculture is a word that combines these concepts but includes many different technologies, arts and sciences that enable the activity.
· Aqua = water
· Culture = the breeding or growing of animals or plants
Sometimes, the terms "aquafarming" and “fish farming”are also used.
The Origins of Aquaculture
Aquaculture is done throughout the world and its nature and characteristics reflect the influences of historical traditions, climatic conditions and popular preferences.
Fish and shellfish have been part of the European diet for as long as man has been present on the continent. Indeed, 500 000 years ago, Homo erectus would have caught salmon (probably by hand) and eaten it raw, perhaps accompanied by a few berries and nuts. Mesolithic man (between 10 000 and 5 000 BCE) appreciated oysters and mussels, and fish had long been established as a highly desirable food. As farming activities developed, man also became able to master the rearing of animals and the same concepts were applied to fish.
A drawing of an aquacultured fish made by an ancient Roman.
Ancient Egyptian and Roman paintings show that fish were reared in ponds while it is also well known that carp were raised in antiquity in many of the Far Eastern (Asian) countries.
The farming of carp in Europe has its roots in China (the first Publication of "Fish Husbandry", written by Fan Li, was made around 500 BCE) and arrived in Europe via the Roman Empire. Aquaculture was used by the monasteries of the Middle Ages (fifth to fifteenth century). Carp farming was practiced within or close to the monasteries in order to provide fish for the requirements of the Roman Catholic religion. Charles the Great (768-814 CE) ordered the construction of fishponds to overcome the demand for other meat products.
The mandatory requirement to eat fish on Fridays and to abstain from eating meat during Lent was difficult in areas distant from the sea and thus carp farming provided a solution. In addition, the food requirements of a growing European population stimulated the construction of fishponds during the first millennium.
This is the way that the southeastern part of Germany and Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) became the centre for European carp production in the Middle Ages. From the very beginning, carp farming has been seen as having an important hydrological and ecological role within its contribution to social economies.
The most significant developments came with the understanding of the life cycles of the species and, therefore, the ability to breed fish in captivity. As improved understanding of the dietary requirements was obtained, the farming of fish was able to develop as a viable and secure farming activity.
These factors, combined with the ability to transport live fish and shellfish, have enabled the development of aquaculture to become a prime supplier of fresh fish and shellfish to the consumer, providing high quality products in response to demand.
Ancient Aquaculture
Aquaculture is a form of food production that has been practiced in many civilizations since earliest records. Some estimate that as long ago as 1000 BCE the Chinese raised carp for food in freshwater ponds, making efficient use of the available land. Over the centuries they evolved a fish aquaculture that used types of organisms that feed at different levels of the food chain: filter feeders (phytoplankton, zooplankton), vegetation feeders, and bottom feeders. Today fish are still grown in China in ponds, lakes, reservoirs, and rice paddies.
By 200 CE, the practice of aquaculture had spread to Korea and Japan. The Japanese also cultured oysters for their pearls. Ancient Egyptians stocked artificial ponds with fish; the Greeks and Romans raised eels; and the Europeans cultivated oysters. More recently, aquaculture has been practiced in mainland America and Canada since the mid-1800's.
Some Major Aquacultured Species (ancient times to today):
· Saltwater fish: mullet, milkfish, mahimahi, threadfin, eel, salmon, smelt,
sturgeon, shad, striped bass, pompano, yellowtail, flatfish,
tilapia.
· Freshwater fish: carp, catfish, tilapia, trout, pike, perch, black bass sunfish
· Other vertebrates: turtles, frogs, alligators
· Invertebrates: shrimp, lobsters, prawn, crawfish, crabs, oysters, clams,
giant clams, mussels, abalone, limpets, squid, octopus.
· Seaweed: nori, ogo, wakame, kelp, dulse.
· Freshwater plants: chlorella, spirulina.
· Non-consumable: aquarium fish, pearl oysters, minnows (baitfish),
goldfish.
Aquaculture Today:
The history of agricultural sciences is an ongoing story of problem solving to increase the varieties of nutritious, affordable, and efficiently produced food available to a hungry population. As the world population multiplies, there is increasing pressure on traditional agricultural food production systems to meet increasing global demands. This has resulted in over-exploitation of fish stocks, stagnating yields from capture fisheries, and modifications of ecosystems.
Sustainable Development:
The European Union, Japan, China, North America, and other areas of the world consider aquaculture to be a responsible and sustainable source of high quality animal protein and essential nutrients. Aquaculture is sustainable development. This means it conserves land, water, plant and animal genetic resources, is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable. Sustainable development is the management and conservation of natural resources in such a manner as to ensure the continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations.
Research and Technology:
Today, responsible aquaculture works hand-in-hand with research and technology to provide food and protect the environment. Scientists are building upon earlier knowledge of aquaculture to scientifically research and develop practical and efficient production methods. The first research step toward a profitable harvest of fish is the ability to scientifically control the reproduction of captive stocks of fish, something that could not be accomplished in traditional aquaculture. By mimicking natural environmental conditions, we can make the aquaculture tanks as friendly and calm an environment as possible for the captive fish. Another example of ongoing research is the development of cost-effective, environmentally-friendly feeds and feeding strategies. These technologies promise to make significant contributions to future supplies of seafood while minimizing negative environmental effects (pollution, disease).
Types of Modern Aquaculture Systems:
Today’s aquaculture systems include: 1) Capture in ocean, then grow and breed in pond; 2) Capture in ocean, then grow and breed in concrete, rubber-lined, or specifically constructed tanks; 3) Capture, grow and breed in cage or baskets suspended in lake or river. Today’s aquaculture research includes aspects of each of these types of systems.