The term aquaculture is related to the supervised cultivation of organisms that live in water. The goal is animal production and most of the seafood is the result of aquaculture. There is a tendency for artificial production to completely replace hunting in the natural environment which is not controlled by people. The purpose of growing these animals is for food. The places where the growth takes part are saltwater as well as freshwater because fish, crustaceans as well as plants are being grown.
China is the country where most of the aquaculture takes place and this practice originates from China. It has been practiced for several thousand years so far. The United States have been using aquaculture for more than two centuries so far. The controversy related to aquaculture is genetically modified seafood, such as salmon. This lowers the cost of salmon because it is grown faster, but there might be other risks involved such as the contamination of the natural habitat. “The cognitive transformations that go along with this shift from animal to product extend a pattern of control over nature already established through other sorts of interactions with the environment” (Schreiber, Mathews, Elliott 153). The fact that animals have become products is good because people can eat healthy food that is more available because it is less expensive. Aquaculture is the solution to the problems discussed in Aquatic Controversies because more people can gain access to food due to its affordable price. However, the growing of these animals has to be treated carefully because there are risks of pollution and negative effects on the health of the sea animals which can cause human deceases as well.
Works Cited
Schreiber, Dorothee, Ralph Matthews, and Brian Elliott. "The Framing of Farmed Fish: Product, Efficiency, and Technology." The Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie 28.2 (2003): 153-69. Print.
