Committed to Sustainability
What Is Aquaculture?
Aquaculture, also called “fish farming”, is the practice of breeding, raising, and harvesting aquatic organisms. This is most popularly seen in the food industry with animals such as salmon, tilapia, and bass. Some farms even grow seaweed! (Sushi anyone?) . But why do you care about growing a bunch of fish filets in a pond? Well, maybe you don’t, but aquaculture is so much more than just that!
In the aquarium industry, aquaculture is well on the road to becoming the next big thing. While this practice has been happening on the freshwater side for years, with the popularity of marine aquariums lately, the industry is expanding quickly. Saltwater organisms such as clownfish, dottybacks, cardinalfish, tangs, and fire shrimp are already being bred regularly, and many more are popping up.
Why is aquaculture important?
While there are many well-managed wild fisheries, there are also many poorly managed ones. Problems such as overfishing, cyanide fishing, improper handling, and extensive travel time result in high losses, which over time causes wild populations to dwindle.
Raising these animals in captivity helps take pressure off of wild populations. When fish can be provided to the aquarium industry without harvesting them from the wild, this gives the wild populations time to recover.
How Can We Support Aquaculture?
Something Fishy makes a huge effort to carry sustainably harvested fish – including aquacultured ones! We have partnered with organizations such as Mystic Aquarium and Roger Williams University (amongst others) to be able to provide these options to our clients.
While sometimes these fish are not the least expensive option, it is worth it to support sustainable alternatives and make a positive impact on the environment along with getting a fish already accustomed to tank life which makes them very hearty.
Something Fishy is committed to educating our clients, friends, and fans about sustainable practices in fishkeeping so we can all continue to enjoy Mother Nature's handy work up close.
Live green. Stay Fishy.
