What are the benefits of aquaculture?

1 Answer
Jan 15, 2017

There are multiple benefits of aquaculture.

Explanation:

Aquaculture, or the farming of aquatic plants, fish, and other aquatic animals such as crustaceans and so forth, has multiple benefits. These include providing a local food source, potentially lower pollutant levels, reduced pressure on wild populations, and providing a stable source of protein and income.

Through aquaculture, products can be grown locally that would otherwise need to be shipped from far away, reducing the green house gas emissions from transportation and potentially reducing the cost of the product to the consumer because of the savings due to decreased transportation.

Products grown and managed through aquaculture may be safer for human consumption, because the habitat the product was grown in is managed by humans. Thus, humans can limit and monitor levels of harmful pollutants.

Aquaculture can reduce the pressure on wild populations, which is especially important in instances where wild populations are depleted or at risk for depletion.

Aquaculture can also provide a stable source of protein and stable jobs. This is particularly valuable for communities where protein is hard or expensive to obtain through other methods.

You can read more about aquaculture here and this webpage provides a good overview of the costs and benefits of the practice.