Aquaculture refers to farming of marine organisms like shellfish, fish and plants both in freshwater and marine. Aquaculture or fish farming may also be regarded to as the science and trade of farming aquatic animals (Colin 2011). The aquatic animals reared include mollusks, finfish and crustaceans. Plants reared in marine or fresh waters acts as food for fish. The aim of farming fish in Florida is to meet its’ errands for ecological stewardship as well as for financial expansion.
Florida also aimed at improving the economy of the United States by introducing a beneficial aquatic industry. This would also be of advantage to the region since the citizens would enjoy a rich source of proteins at low costs, job opportunities would increase and also enhance food security (Timmons 2002). Florida has an added advantage to fish farming due to its geographical location in the United States. This is because it is on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, thus favoring the agriculture.
Aquaculture is an important practice in United States as the nation is known to have a high rate of seafood consumption. The nation imports seafood due to the high demand, leading to a shortfall in trade. Despite the fact that the nation has large areas for fish rearing, the government keeps on importing more seafood to its growing population.
According to research done on the agriculture, there are vast reasons as to why the nation can not provide enough seafood for its people. Overharvesting is a major cause. This has lead to the disappearance of valuable species and pollution of fish habitats. A great decline to seafood availability in the region is experienced. Great caution ought to be taken in Florida as this is endangering significant fisheries and as well forcing processors and fishermen out of trade.
In Florida, an association is shaped in the year one thousand nine hundred and eighty three. The main objective of the union was to offer a united accent for Florida aquaculture so as to guarantee its sustainability, and improve its development. In Florida, aquaculture is an extreme assorted division with numerous varieties aquatic organisms. For the past years, Florida provided enough seafood, job opportunities as well as improved the economy of United States. The achievements are out of the associations that came up and gave the needed support to the various farms in the region (Timmons 2002). The assistance has enabled Florida to provide food and non-food markets like fashion leather as well as seeds for local and global agriculturist.
Aquaculture has numerous advantages to Florida as it has been a reliable food provision to the Americans. Despite the fact that fish farming has not been considered as the principal source of food to the people, it has brought a lot of significance to the farmers by bringing income to them. Farmers in Florida aimed at increasing fish output by enhancing the number of pools. This is one reason why the region has been able to produce food.
There are two major classes of fish aquaculture, which include intensive and extensive aquacultures. Florida practiced both the categories as the source of food for the organisms were a big challenge to the farmers, and this forced them to rear fish depending on the available resources. The extensive category is discouraged by the depreciation in the availability of local foods. This forced the farmers to turn to intensive aquaculture since the food could be acquired from the external sources. Farmers had to choose the best types of fish to rear in their ponds due to in adequacy of food.
However, rearing of the aquatics in Florida has faced numerous challenges that interfere with the production. One of the major challenges is overharvesting, thus depriving the number as well as the species of fish available. During harvesting, people reduce the number of fish in the farms hence interfering with the economy of the region (Timmons 2002). Aquaculture has also been affected by infections from bacteria, worms as well as fungi.
The problem with infection could be avoided by providing clean environment for the species as well as providing enough and the right food to the fish. This needed proper monitoring of the ponds to be certain that all the needs are attained for the right output in the ponds. Provision of the right conditions in the ponds is also another factor that favored the rearing of fish in Florida. The association provided the right information regarding the treatment for the ponds to ensure healthy organisms in the ponds thus, ensuring that consumers are provided with proper diet.
Fish farming in Florida helped fight poverty and hunger thus endorsing progression in the rural areas. This is because, aquaculture is the globe’s fast food producing division, and this has ensured food security in Florida.
Besides seafood provision in Florida, aquaculture has other various uses that comprise generation of plant genus’s that can be employed in nutritional as well as for drug production. Other benefits of aquaculture include reinstating habitat, improving wild stocks of fish, generating baitfish as well as restoring the capacities of the endangered species.
The increase in population led to increase in aquaculture. The government in United States spends a lot of capital in importing seafood since the fish found in the oceans could not sustain the rising population. After construction of ponds in the region, seafood increased thus overfishing was diminished (Colin 2011). Fish farming in the region reduced food problems and thus, the farmers could feed the hungry populace. Overfishing has been a danger to Florida as there would be no replacement of the harvested organisms. This would lead to diminishing of the number of fish in the region and as well capacity of edible fish. Obliteration of habitat is also a major problem to the aquatic ecosystem. Key destructions of the habitat include water pollution, excess usage of water by farmers, incorporation of indigenous species.
Aquaculture in Florida has both positive and negative impacts to the nation. For instance, the practice creates job opportunities to those in the coastal regions, provision of food security to the nation as well as maintaining marine population. Aquaculture has also negative effects to the region (Timmons 2002). For example, most of the citizens concentrate on the agriculture as the sole source of livelihood neglecting other activities that can boost the economy of the region.
In conclusion, aquaculture in Florida plays a great role in ensuring enough food supply and improving the economy of the region. Farming of marine organisms in Florida ought to be given proper attention as it is the major source of food and employment to the people in the region (Colin 2011). The government ought to support the associations in Florida to ensure food security as well as improve the economy.
References
Colin N. (2011). The History of Aquaculture, 4th ed. London, Oxford University Press.
Timmons W. (2002). Recirculation of Aquaculture Systems, 2nd ed. Britain, Bristol University Press.