Animal Husbandry: Aquaculture Versus Agriculture

The term "husbandry" is defined as the scientific control and management of a branch of farming; it has been used to describe those principles and practices used in cultivating animals from both the land and the sea. The primary goal of husbandry is to enhance productivity. The efficiency of managed food productivity is dependent upon genetic control of the species, nutrient utilization, environmental characteristics, the farming system employed, and the end use to be made of the product. During the past 100 years, major research achievements in agriculture have resulted in improved husbandry and agricultural production has more than doubled. Cultivation of organisms in aquatic systems; i.e., aquaculture, has not enjoyed a comparable level of scientific attention and as a result has fallen short of realizing its potential. Today aquatic organisms account for only 4% of the world production of food including allowances for the contribution of aquatic products to land production.