Difference Between Aquaculture and Pisciculture

The key difference between aquaculture and pisciculture is that aquaculture is the process of breeding, rearing and harvesting aquatic flora and fauna with commercial value in salt water or fresh water while pisciculture is the culturing of fish (fish farming) to obtain fish and fish products as food.

Both aquaculture and pisciculture are two culture techniques related to both salt water and fresh water under controlled environments. Both types of cultures produce commercially valuable products that are food sources. Aquaculture significantly produces commercially valuable flora. Both aquaculture and pisciculture possess common characteristics. But, this article focuses on the difference between aquaculture and pisciculture.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Aquaculture 
3. What is Pisciculture
4. Similarities Between Aquaculture and Pisciculture
5. Side by Side Comparison – Aquaculture vs Pisciculture in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Aquaculture?

Aquaculture is the process by which commercially valuable flora and fauna are bred, reared and harvested in salt water and fresh water. It involves the farming of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants. Aquaculture is a controlled process. Hence, the cultivation of aquatic products takes place under a pre-defined set of regulations. Moreover, it is carried out in both fresh water and salt water. Therefore, aquaculture produces flora and fauna present in both marine and freshwater habitats.

Aquaculture is important in many different aspects, not only as a food source. It provides commercially valuable products, restoration of habitats, replenishing wild stocks and rebuilding populations of endangered and threatened species. It also assists in nutrient build up, decrease the chance of disease outbreaks in aquatic environments, prevents the escaping of non-native species and increases the quality of the final product.

What is Pisciculture?

Pisciculture is the culturing of fish in tanks or enclosures (fish ponds) to obtain fish products as a food source. The technique dates back to many centuries. The types of fish produced in pisciculture include cod, carp, salmon, catfish, and tilapia. Similar to aquaculture, pisciculture also produces commercially valuable fish products.

Pisciculture is the fastest growing area of animal food production in the world. The demand for fish and fish proteins increases rapidly. Hence, wild fisheries are at a state of overfishing. At present, more than 50% of fish consumed globally are raised through pisciculture. The fish ponds or aquafarms are mesh cages submerged in natural or artificially constructed water bodies. Furthermore, it is possible to conduct pisciculture in both fresh water and salt water.

What are the Similarities Between Aquaculture and Pisciculture?

• Both aquaculture and pisciculture are two forms of culturing fish.
• They can use both salt water and fresh water.
• Moreover, both produce commercially valuable fish products.
• Also, both cultures reduce the rate of overfishing in wild fisheries.

What is the Difference Between Aquaculture and Pisciculture?

Aquaculture is the process which produces commercially valuable flora and fauna while pisciculture is fish farming which produces fish and fish related products as a food source. So, this is the key difference between aquaculture and pisciculture. Also, one more significant difference between aquaculture and pisciculture is that in aquaculture, aquatics plants are also grown along with fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. But, pisciculture only produces fish such as cod, carp, salmon, catfish, and tilapia.

Other uses of aquaculture include assisting in the nutrient build up, decreasing the chance of disease outbreaks in aquatic environments, preventing the escaping of nonnative species and increasing the quality of the final product. Apart from fish production, pisciculture is useful in reducing the over-exploitation of wild fisheries. Therefore, this is also a difference between aquaculture and pisciculture.

The below infographic represents more information regarding the difference between aquaculture and pisciculture.

Summary – Aquaculture vs Pisciculture

Aquaculture produces both flora and fauna with a commercial value while pisciculture produces only fish and fish products to be used as a food source. So, this is the key difference between aquaculture and pisciculture. Both aquaculture and pisciculture produce commercially valuable products. But, the commercial value of aquaculture products is more prominent than pisciculture. Thus, this is the summary of aquaculture and pisciculture.

Reference:

1. “Aquaculture.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Available here.
2. “Fish Farming.” Animal Welfare Institute, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1103807” By Tom Fisk (CC0) via Pexels
2. “Bassins de la pisciculture de la Calonne” By Frédéric BISSON – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia