SoCal Aquaponics

Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic organisms (fish or shellfish) or aqua farming. Aquaculture is derived from two words; Aqua (Latin) for water + Culture (English).

Ancient Egyptians grew Tilapia in man-made ponds along the River Nile for cultivation. Today, all over Africa and world-wide this practice is still upheld by families and farmers alike. With the depreciation of wild fishes, some which have joined the endangered species (like the Cod), farming Tilapia has become an important practice to provide the growing world population with alternative sources of protein. Tilapia can be cultivated successfully as it adapts to its surroundings rather quickly.

Aquaculture helps to reduce over-fishing by growing the organisms that would usually be caught in the wild. Salmon, shrimp, oysters, mussels, and algae are examples of aquaculture species. Unfortunately, many species adaptable to aquaculture are not native to the area where they are cultured. These species occasionally escape and compete with native species, or carry diseases and parasites that infect local populations.

A number of different types of aquaculture exist. The simplest is the releasing young organisms into the wild to increase the natural population size. This is especially useful for farming salmon because the fish return to the place they hatched when they are ready to spawn. This makes their harvest especially simple. The next level of aquaculture contains the organisms in a pen or cage open to water and nutrients, but that restrains them from leaving the site. The most complex aquaculture type is a closed system. In this situation, there is no exchange between the aquaculture facility and the environment.