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
aquaculture
transitive verb
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
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
The program is backed by a $75 million revolving loan fund approved by the Florida Legislature during a special session in November 2023 to support impacted agriculture and aquaculture producers recover from natural disasters.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Aasiaat is an industrial town rooted in aquaculture that sits roughly 25 miles from the coastline where the Greenland ice sheet meets the sea.
—Avery Schuyler Nunn, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2024
The fish were introduced in the 1960s to get rid of seaweed without using chemicals in aquaculture facilities and sewage ponds in Arkansas.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aquaculture
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2025
The program is backed by a $75 million revolving loan fund approved by the Florida Legislature during a special session in November 2023 to support impacted agriculture and aquaculture producers recover from natural disasters.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Aasiaat is an industrial town rooted in aquaculture that sits roughly 25 miles from the coastline where the Greenland ice sheet meets the sea.
—Avery Schuyler Nunn, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2024
The fish were introduced in the 1960s to get rid of seaweed without using chemicals in aquaculture facilities and sewage ponds in Arkansas.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aquaculture
Cite this Entry
“Aquaculture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aquaculture. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
aquaculture
noun
aqua·cul·ture
ˈak-wə-ˌkəl-ˌchər
äk-
: the cultivation of living things (as fish or shellfish) naturally occurring in water
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share