There are a number of types of aquaculture farms that raise various kinds of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. There are also aquaculture farms that raise aquatic plants, such as seaweed. In many cases, these plants and animals are intended for human consumption, but there are a few exceptions. For instance, some aquaculture farms raise fish that are intended for use in aquariums. These kinds of fish are often referred to as ornamental fish.
Some of the most common aquaculture farms are fish farms, oyster farms, and shrimp farms. Farms of this sort may use a number of methods to raise their stock. In some cases, most of the operations happen in tanks and facilities that are on land. Others make use of facilities that are along a shoreline. In these cases, the stock is grown in a natural marine environment that is enclosed or somehow regulated by the fishery.
Farms that use natural marine environments to raise their stock instead of relying entirely on land-based operations are practicing what is referred to as mariculture. The practice falls under the umbrella of aquaculture. The products that are harvested in these kinds of farms are often produced for the same purposes and sold to the same markets as the products of land-based farms.
When farms grow aquatic plants they are participating in a process that is referred to as algaculture, which, like mariculture, falls under the umbrella of aquaculture. There are various uses for the products that are grown in algaculture farms. Algae that is grown on these kinds of farms has both commercial and industrial uses. It can be used for a variety of products, ranging from food to bioplastics.
Aquaponic farms are aquaculture farms that integrate the cultivation of plants and fish or shellfish. These sorts of farms use a cyclical system in which plants and aquatic animals rely on a symbiotic relationship. The waste that is produced by a certain kind of fish, for example, may be filtered out of the water by a certain kind of plant. In addition to filtering the water and detoxifying it for the fish, the plants also rely on the waste for its nutrients. These sorts of aquaculture farms are often very efficient in their use of water.
