aquaculture

American  

[ak-wuh-kuhl-cher, ah-kwuh-] / ˈæk wəˌkʌl tʃər, ˈɑ kwə- /

noun

1. the cultivation of aquatic animals and plants, especially fish, shellfish, and seaweed, in natural or controlled marine or freshwater environments; underwater agriculture.

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aquaculture British  

/ ˈækwəˌkʌltʃə /

noun

1. the cultivation of freshwater and marine resources, both plant and animal, for human consumption or use

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aquaculture Scientific  

/ ăk′wə-kŭl′chər,ä′kwə- /

1. The science of cultivating marine or freshwater food fish, such as salmon and trout, or shellfish, such as oysters and clams, under controlled conditions.

2. See hydroponics

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Other Word Forms

• aquacultural adjective
• aquaculturist noun

Etymology

Origin of aquaculture

First recorded in 1865–70; aqua- + (agri)culture

Explanation

The practice of raising fish or water plants for food is known as aquaculture. A shrimp farmer works in the aquaculture industry. The word aquaculture combines the Latin aqua-, "water," with culture, also from a Latin root, meaning "agriculture" or "a cultivating." Originally, this term referred only to fish farming. Today, you can also practice aquaculture by growing seaweed and algae, or raising shellfish like oysters and scallops. Today, aquaculture provides about half of all the fish and shellfish eaten by humans.

Example Sentences

This region receives inputs from treated sewage, household wastewater, aquaculture operations, pig farming, and agricultural runoff.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026

Nearly all eels consumed in Japan come from aquaculture, which relies entirely on the capture or import of glass eels because they do not reproduce in captivity.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025

The report, by the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return Initiative, a global investor network representing $80 trillion in assets, analyzed water risk for 60 large global meat, dairy and aquaculture companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 26, 2025

Areas used for aquaculture have since suffered chronic tidal flooding, leading to oversalinization, and land has been lost, the study said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2025

Hawaii was also unique within Polynesia in using mass labor for aquaculture, by constructing large fishponds in which milkfish and mullet were grown.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond