Aquaculture
Aquaculture (n.) Aquaculture refers to the nurture of aquatic animals or cultivation of aquatic plants in natural, controlled marine, or freshwater environments. It constitutes to the production of ornamental fish for aquarium trade, food, pharmaceutical, nutritional, and biotechnology products. The term derives from the combination of aqua and culture, which both stem from Latin origin; aqua meaning water, and cultura (Latin) meaning culture.1 There are various forms of aquaculture, some being, fish and shrimp farming, oyster farming, mariculture, algaculture (seaweed farming), and the rearing of ornamental fish. Methods such as aquaponics, hydroponics, and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, are integrated in aquaculture. Today, aquaculture, provides seventy percent of the global salmon market, and now is the leading source of all seafood consumed. The general practice of aquaculture can be seen as a sustainable approach to the conservation and protection of marine wildlife. 2 The Integral Urban House, which was an experimental house in Berkeley, California that focused on innovative strategies for self-reliant sustainable practices in urban houses relied on aquaculture, and was one of the first domestic implementations of the concept. The idea was to create a fully sustainable urban lifestyle with mini ecosystems where residents were able to cultivate their own crops, rear their own seafood, recycle 90% of their waste, and engage in other various sustainable practices – all on only 500 square meters. 3