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

Institutions like the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, for example, are constantly working to help promote different types of aquaculture. —Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Dive into aquaculture with the Indian River Oyster Company. —Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2025

Unlike conventional crops, this type of aquaculture requires no fresh water, pesticides or arable land. —Carly Kay, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025

Compared to the rest of the nation, fishing and aquaculture employment is 20 times more concentrated in Maine. —Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin aqua + English -culture (as in agriculture)

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aquaculture

• agriculture
• apiculture
• counterculture
• floriculture
• horticulture
• mariculture
• monoculture
• sericulture
• silviculture
• viticulture
• arboriculture
• culture

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