What Is Aquaculture, and How Is It Related to Agriculture?

Updated

Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms — fish, shellfish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants — raised in water rather than harvested only from the wild. The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) describes it simply as agriculture, but in the water. That comparison is the clearest way to understand it: the same basic activity of managing, feeding and harvesting a crop, applied to a water environment instead of a field.

The core definition

According to CAIA, aquaculture covers the farming of:

  • Fish — raised in pens, tanks or ponds
  • Shellfish — including molluscs such as mussels and oysters
  • Crustaceans — such as shrimp and crab
  • Aquatic plants — including seaweed

The key word is farming. Aquaculture is not just fishing; it involves deliberate cultivation, which is why the industry frames itself as agriculture rather than extraction.

Why it counts as agriculture

CAIA makes the relationship explicit with the phrase "Aquaculture is Agriculture." The logic is straightforward:

Conventional agriculture Aquaculture
Raises animals or plants on land Raises aquatic organisms in water
Manages feed, health and harvest Manages feed, health and harvest
Supplies food to consumers Supplies seafood to consumers
Supports rural communities and jobs Revitalizes coastal and rural communities

The parallel matters because it places seafood farming in the same policy and economic category as other farming — relevant to trade, rural development and food supply discussions.

Scale and role in food production

CAIA states that aquaculture is among the fastest growing food sectors in the world, accounting for nearly 50% of total global fish production. In other words, roughly half the fish the world consumes is farmed rather than caught in the wild. That share is the main reason the sector draws attention from governments, trade groups and food policy analysts.

What it means for consumers

CAIA presents farmed seafood as healthy, fresh and nutritious, available year-round. The organization also promotes choosing Canadian seafood and notes that Canada holds natural advantages for the sector — an enormous coastal geography, abundant cold clean water, a favourable climate, and a long marine and fishery tradition. It positions Canada as a global leader in responsible and sustainable practices.

Where to go next

The CAIA website (aquaculture.ca) covers the definition of aquaculture, its benefits to Canadians, its relationship to agriculture, and a recipe section built around Canadian farmed seafood. It also publishes news releases on trade and policy issues affecting the sector. If your question is about a specific species, a particular province's rules, or how to buy Canadian farmed seafood, those topics sit outside the general definition and are best checked against the relevant regulator or supplier.