Aquaculture basics

When you choose sustainably farmed seafood, you support a healthy ocean.

What is aquaculture? 

Aquaculture is the farming of fish, shellfish, and seaweeds. While some seafood is wild-caught, many types of seafood can also be farmed, including oysters, shrimp, salmon, trout, and more. Today, over 50 percent of the seafood we eat comes from farms—and that number continues to increase.

Is farmed or wild-caught seafood better?

Some buyers think wild-caught seafood is better than fish raised in aquaculture farms, but one isn't necessarily better than the other. Seafood can be sustainably harvested from both wild populations and aquaculture—if done properly.

Why is sustainable aquaculture important?

As the human population and the demand for seafood continue to grow, aquaculture is becoming increasingly important. In the next decade, the majority of fish we eat will be farm-raised. 

The aquaculture industry is growing rapidly, and with this expansion comes a range of concerns about the environmental and social impacts of seafood production. When aquaculture is done in an environmentally and socially responsible way, it supports a healthy ocean, provides jobs, and feeds billions of people around the world.

What does sustainable aquaculture look like?

By choosing seafood from better farms and production systems, you can play a positive role in reducing aquaculture's potential negative impacts. Sustainable aquaculture uses practices that limit the impact of the farm on the environment, including: 

• Preserving habitats
• Reducing pollution from farms
• Limiting chemical and antibiotic use
• Avoiding the spread of non-native species

Did you know?

The U.S. has a small but growing aquaculture industry. There is increasing interest by the private sector and the government to expand farming in offshore waters, but there are few examples of sustainable offshore aquaculture. Seafood Watch is working with several partners to inform this emerging use of the ocean with the best science, tools, and strategies. It's important that we understand and address key risks of U.S. offshore aquaculture. Let’s get it right from the start!