water. Aquaculture can be conducted in freshwater,
brackishwater and full strength seawater. Equally, systems
vary with respect to their exposure to bacteria
present in human or animal wastes.
The socio-economic environments within which
aquaculture operates also vary over the full range
found in the world, from small-scale systems most
popular in the Asian region, to industrial-level operations,
and both the scientific and technical infrastructure
available to aquaculture producers and the
regulatory environments within which they operate
show wide variations (1).
A significant proportion of aquacultural production
occurs in low-income, food-deficient countries
(LIFDC). In such countries, small scale ‘peasant’
aquaculture plays a major role in meeting subsistence
nutritional requirements and as a vital source
of employment, profit and foreign exchange earnings.
At the other end of the spectrum, aquaculture is
often run by sophisticated, multinational companies.
It would, however, be a mistake to associate the size
of aquaculture operations and the extent to which
they are involved in international trade with any geographical
location or with any species. Small-scale
and large industrial aquaculture operations coexist in
most countries.