Farming fish for food has been used for 1000's of years as an abundant easy to care for nutritious food source. Fish farming, known as aquaculture, is considered an agricultural activity. In China they have been farming carp for thousands of years. This is a major source of protein in their diet. They raise the fish in ponds and keep them so they will grow quickly. But lately there have been many complaints about the nutritional value of farmed fish. However, there are many good reasons to continue farming fish that need to be considered.
In western society some fish are grown in ponds while others are grown in raceways. The raceways allow for fresh water to be pumped in and the old water to be removed. The current created by this water movement helps fish like trout to breathe as well as get some exercise swimming along raceways. One of the objections to farm raised fish is they don't have the same muscle as wild fish. Their meat isn't as firm and dense because the muscles in the fish are not utilized as they would be in the fish's natural environment. The raceways help the farm fish develop similar muscle tone to the wild fish.
Aquaculture makes it possible to have a lot more fish consumption. Fish can be grown to market size quickly and economically. Some of the favorite farmed fish are salmon, catfish, trout, and tilapia. While aquaculture doesn't help commercial fishermen it does create other jobs. The jobs created by aquaculture are good paying sustaining jobs that will be around thorough good and bad economic times.
Jobs created by aquaculture are very diverse. There are the people who actually operate the farms but the employment goes far beyond that. One of the largest businesses created by fish farmers is the manufacture of fish food. This industry employs lots of people at a semi-skilled level as well as nutrition and scientists. Fish farms use tractors and specialized people which employ designers and manufacturers. There are also pumps, hoses, and filters necessary to circulate the water. These must be designed and manufactured. Transportation industry employs many people to get the fingerlings to the farm and the adults to market. Another industry created by fish farms is the processing of fish waste into fertilizer.
While fish are wonderful for anglers to catch and release, nature can't support the number of fish necessary to keep the animals that depend on them for food. In order to keep wild fish populations healthy there must be regulations that limit fish season, methods of catching as well as possession limits. Even fishing regulations put the pressure put on some fish and their numbers start to dwindle. This happened to cod a few years ago. It has also happened to salmon, especially the pacific species. Wild fish may taste better and have better texture it comes at a cost. Farm raised fish provide more nutrition at lower cost while helping the economy. Overall farm fish make more sense.
