aquaculture
noun
aqua·cul·ture
ˈä-kwə-ˌkəl-chər 
ˈa-
variants
or less commonly aquiculture
: the cultivation of aquatic organisms (such as fish or shellfish) especially for food
aquaculture
transitive verb
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For most of the modern history of aquaculture, only costly fish and shellfish like salmon and shrimp were harvested. But new technologies are allowing cheaper and more efficient cultivation of fish for food, and such common fish as cod are now being farmed. Seaweeds and other algae are also being grown--for food (mostly in Asia), cattle feed, fertilizer, and experimentally as a source of energy. Aquaculture is now the world's fastest-growing form of food production.
Examples of aquaculture in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kurtz points to revised oyster goals, which include mention of aquaculture and the native fishery, rather than on oyster sanctuaries — where no harvesting occurs.
—
Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 8 July 2025
That includes an office that helps support the pioneering carbon monoxide monitoring on Hawaii's Mauna Loa, and another that supports the National Sea Grant program and its aquaculture research.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 July 2025
These fish were intentionally introduced in the U.S. Southeast by private fish farm and wastewater treatment operators as a means to control algae in aquaculture and sewage treatment ponds.
—Mike Shriberg, The Conversation, 1 July 2025
Invasive carp were introduced in the 1960s to get rid of chemicals in aquaculture and other facilities without using chemicals.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for aquaculture
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Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 8 July 2025
That includes an office that helps support the pioneering carbon monoxide monitoring on Hawaii's Mauna Loa, and another that supports the National Sea Grant program and its aquaculture research.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 July 2025
These fish were intentionally introduced in the U.S. Southeast by private fish farm and wastewater treatment operators as a means to control algae in aquaculture and sewage treatment ponds.
—Mike Shriberg, The Conversation, 1 July 2025
Invasive carp were introduced in the 1960s to get rid of chemicals in aquaculture and other facilities without using chemicals.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for aquaculture
Cite this Entry
“Aquaculture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aquaculture. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
aquaculture
noun
aqua·cul·ture
ˈak-wə-ˌkəl-ˌchər
äk-
: the cultivation of living things (as fish or shellfish) naturally occurring in water
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