Urban aquaculture is aquaculture of fish, shellfish, and marine plants in rivers, ponds, lakes, canals located within an urban environment. Urban aquaculture systems can be associated with a multitude of different production locations, species used, environment, and production intensity. The use of urban aquaculture has increased over the last several years as societies continue to urbanise and demand for food in urban environments increases. Methods of production include recirculating systems; land-based culture systems; multifunctional wetlands; ponds, borrow pits and lakes; cages and culture-based fisheries. Most production in urban environments will include either extensive (productivity is based solely on natural runoff) or intensive (tanks and cages of monoculture production), compared to aquaculture in general, which is normally semi-intensive.
History Aquaculture dates to 1000 BCE in China. Early examples of European urban aquaculture could be found in Roman villas, followed by monasteries, castles, manors and millponds” in medieval Europe. The practice variously represented advancements in technology, ways to demonstrate social status, a means to avoid poor fish capture, and an increasing consumer demand for seafood. Significant historical upheavals, such as the fall of the Roman Empire and both the depopulation and economic regression that occurred during the medieval time period disrupted and undermined the practice. A reemergence of aquaculture became noticeable during the industrialisation era. Urban aquaculture long existed at some level in many areas, but is considered by some to have emerged from the end of World War II through the 1970s, brought on by consumer demand for more seafood and shifting from small-scale community activity to commercial enterprise during this span. The practice has gone global, and continued to steadily increase around the world in the last decade, mostly due to increasing demand for shrimps and prawns by developed countries. Aquaculture also provides an alternative livelihood for fishermen faced with the reduction of natural marine populations from overfishing and climate change. Aquaculture is most dominant in Asia, which produces about 75% of the world’s total fisheries and aquaculture volume; a large proportion of that Asian production comes from China, which accounts for about 40-60% of global aquatic animal production. While aquaculture is commonly practices on an industrial basis, the three most farmed fish - grass carp, Nile tilapia, and common carp are from small scale aquaculture.
Types of use
Urban aquaculture makes use of different production systems: water-based systems—most commonly cages and pens; land-based systems—such as ponds, tanks, and raceways; recirculating systems, which are enclosed and highly controlled; and irrigation systems, which can also be used to raise fish alongside crops, for example, in rice paddies. Production methods currently used in Europe include recirculation units, horizontally integrated marine aquaculture facilities, and systems exploiting industrial byproducts. Urban aquaculture is practiced on land-based culture systems; multifunctional wetlands; ponds, borrow pits and lakes; cages and culture-based fisheries. Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) employ water reuse systems used in many areas.
Impacts
Advantages The potential opportunities include: underprivileged community members may be able to access more affordable food; local production of fish and aquatic plants may prevent food insecurity; livelihoods may improve; and there may be opportunities for high returns on investment. The vast amount of research that Bunting and Little have conducted on this subject gives great legitimacy to their overview of the costs and benefits of urban aquaculture. The urban aquaculture is of great and undeniable importance, and has multiple benefits, such as securing food and maintaining the offered goods to meet the market's demand, as well as guaranteeing numerous job opportunities and stable income for many families (Bunting et al.). The most important thing urban aquaculture provides to the society and the environment is the fact that it reuses wastewater and by-products from agriculture (Bunting et al.). This offers a valid solution to the problem of limited access to resources and this is why the urban aquaculture should be more widespread and encouraged for all the benefits it brings to the society as a whole. Another advantage is definitely for the economy. Aquaculture is a great alternative food source and fuel source. It can increase the number of possible jobs since it provides new products and more labor (Bunting and Little, 455). When talking about environmental benefits, aquaculture helps reduce pollution with the help of mollusks and seaweed. It gives a way for sustainable use of sea resources and helps conserve biodiversity. Finally, it reduces the overall environmental disturbance because there is a decreased need for the fishing of wild stock and it provides alternative farming options.
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