Fish farming has been practiced for centuries and today forms vital expanding industries in many countries. In most developing countries the actual farming of fish supplies crucially needed sources of protein for the population. Elsewhere in the world fish farming helps to satisfy customer demand for high quality fishery produce.

Fish farming is the chief form of aquaculture. Other approaches to farming may fall under the term marine culture. It consists of raising fish on a commercial basis in tanks or coastal enclosures, usually for food, to fulfil the needs of consumer demand. The most popular fish species raised within fish farms are salmon, carp, sea bass and cod.

There is an ever-growing demand for marine creatures and the protein they give, which has given rise to extensive overfishing in wild fisheries. These farms in which fish are kept create another source for wholesalers and suppliers. However, farming carnivorous types, for instance fish like salmon, doesn't always lower the pressure on wild fisheries, as carnivorous farmed fish are commonly nurtured on things like fishmeal and oil which is removed from the wild inhabitants themselves. In this way, the actual salmon harboured in tanks or enclosures can actually consume in weight more wild fish than they weigh in total themselves. This pushes up the demand within the wild fishing industry for supply. If the tanks, enclosures and wild fisheries across the board were allowed to develop together in a harmonious way, the advantage to local employment and the local economies, customarily in remote communities, would be vast and improved.

However, familiar across the industry are the significant disadvantages that cultivating fish can bring. One well known disadvantage is that of small pests. Pests such as lice originating from the farmed salmon themselves bestow wild salmon and other fish like sea trout, causing prevalent deaths of fish colonies and subsequently add to the downfall of fish populations. This has resulted in the loss of fisheries themselves. This is a fact infrequently taken into consideration when we look at the communal benefits of aquaculture and fish farming. Sewage from farms may also add polluting factors to surrounding waters which again is not beneficial for local communities and environments.

It is also interesting to note the actual chemicals used in these areas in which fish are kept, including antibiotics, which are implemented to combat disease and parasites. These are consistently harmful to the environment itself and can contribute to creating unfertile surroundings around farms and killing shellfish inhabitants and many other important marine organisms. There are many ecological and social advantages and disadvantages to fish culture and we are lucky to have associations and agencies in which these will be frequently discussed in order to raise awareness for the fish farming industry.