ABSTRACT
Aquaculture can be broadly defined as the production of aquatic organisms. The first records of aquaculture production in ponds are found in China and date back to 6000 BC. The techniques used were rudimentary, artisanal, and without scientific knowledge. Globally, around the beginning of the 1970s, the so-called Blue Revolution began, thus named for the enormous growth of the aquaculture industry, which grew by 18.8% a year from 1975 to 1985. For that same period, the growth of agriculture and fisheries was 2.4% and 1.1%, respectively. It is at this time that aquaculture moved from a semi-industrial state with small artisanal productions to an industry of enormous production, providing more than 50% of total fish and water organisms destined for human consumption. As a result of this growth, the complexity of aquaculture production management increased, and farm administration became more complex.
This chapter provides a brief history of aquaculture. Then, some biological aspects of the main groups of cultured species and different production systems are introduced. This information is crucial to understanding the impacts and externalities of aquaculture and the future production trends that promote sustainable aquaculture. Finally, the chapter ends with the current production status in terms of volume, balance of the systems used, and species produced.
