What is Aquaculture?

As the world population has grown, new avenues have been developed to grow different types of food. Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the process of breeding, raising, and harvesting various types of marine life.  Fish, shellfish, aquatic plants, and algae are commonly raised in these types of controlled environments. According to NOAA, approximately half of the word’s seafood comes from aquaculture.

There are two main types of aquaculture:

Marine aquaculture focuses on the production of oceanic species, such as oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp, salmon, and yellowtail. These species are produced both within the ocean as well as in tanks and ponds on land. In the ocean, net pens can be used to contain the species while enabling them to grow within their natural environment.

Freshwater aquaculture includes species such as catfish, trout, and tilapia.  These species can be produced within ponds, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and other inland water ways, in addition to built tanks and ponds.

Ensuring all critical metrics are in check is a key component to a successful harvest. Consistently measuring temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), chlorophyll, as well as nitrates and phosphates, can ensure that the species are farmed effectively. Products such as our Hydrocat-EP enables you to get real time and accurate data for temperature, conductivity, pressure, DO, and more.  In addition, our nutrient sensors, the Hydrocycle-P04 measures phosphate and the SUNA V2 measures nitrate.

Check out our case studies to see what other ways you can use our instruments!

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