Aquaculture involves farming organisms such as molluscs and crustaceans and has been around since 2500 B.C. There are several methods of aquaculture, including algaculture, oyster farming, shrimp farming, and fish farming. Aquaponics blends plant farming with fish farming.

Aquaculture gained mass popularity in Europe during the middle ages when it was difficult to harvest enough fish the old fashioned way from oceans and lakes. As technology improved in the 1800's, it becamse easier to distribute fish to the masses, so the need for aquaculture lessened.

In recent times, aquaculture has grown in popularity in a tremendous way as the price of fish and other seafood has increased along with the demand. In 2004, over 32% of the fish consumed in the world was produced by aquaculture fisheries. This equates to about 140 million tons.

In the United States, over 90% of all the shrimp consumed comes from shrimp farms. Salmon has also become a major product that has benefitted from aquaculture in recent times, making it more affordable to the masses than it otherwise would be.

There are several types of fish being produced mainly in fisheries, including Atlantic salmon, Bighead carp, Black carp, Catfish, Common carp, Gouram, Black Crappie, Perch, Bluegill, Tilapia.

There is some debate as to whether animals that are produced in these types of farms are deficient when it comes to nutrition as compared to ones caught naturally in the wild. Fisheries must be careful to monitor the circulation of fresh water to ensure that levels of waste do not climb to high, and that enough fresh oxygen is circulating through the entire farm. For the most part, new technologies are solving these issues.