aquaculture

noun

aqua·​cul·​ture ˈä-kwə-ˌkəl-chər 

ˈa-

variants or less commonly aquiculture

: the cultivation of aquatic organisms (such as fish or shellfish) especially for food

aquacultural

ˌä-kwə-ˈkəl-ch(ə-)rəl 

ˌa-

adjective

aquaculture transitive verb

aquaculturist

ˌä-kwə-ˈkəl-ch(ə-)rist 

ˌa-

noun

Did you know?

For most of the modern history of aquaculture, only costly fish and shellfish like salmon and shrimp were harvested. But new technologies are allowing cheaper and more efficient cultivation of fish for food, and such common fish as cod are now being farmed. Seaweeds and other algae are also being grown--for food (mostly in Asia), cattle feed, fertilizer, and experimentally as a source of energy. Aquaculture is now the world's fastest-growing form of food production.

Examples of aquaculture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Applying the right technologies to sort fish side-streams can instead ensure that aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic processing industries can exploitproduction of new products and ingredients. —Daniela De Lorenzo, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024

Officials said the world’s aquaculture production has increased by 54% since 2011 and remains one of the fastest growing agricultural producing sectors. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2024

They were first imported to the southeastern U.S. in the 1970s to control weeds in aquaculture farms and eventually escaped into the river. —Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2024

Souza told us about the early islanders’ sophisticated system of aquaculture and pointed out the eel, barracuda, and — excitement! — puffer fish that live in the ponds today. —Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin aqua + English -culture (as in agriculture)

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

aquaculture

noun

aqua·​cul·​ture ˈak-wə-ˌkəl-ˌchər 

äk-

: the cultivation of living things (as fish or shellfish) naturally occurring in water

aquaculturist

-ˈkəlch-(ə-)rəst 

noun