Aquaponics has evolved from the practices of both fish farming and hydroponics. Aquaponics takes the strengths of both methods of food production and merges them into a system that is greater than the sum of the two parts. So it’s fair to say that fish farms are predecessors to aquaponics, or even that aquaponics are types of fish farms, but most fish farms are missing the critical systems and benefits that would qualify them as aquaponics.
Fish farming generally involves raising fish on a commercial level in large tanks or constructed ponds for sale as food. It’s an enormous, rapidly growing industry, but it lacks sustainability. In principle, it can reduce fishing pressure on wild populations, but there are many environmentally damaging effects related to the practice that may negate that important but relatively narrow benefit. Maintaining a high level of food and nutrients for intensive fish growth can encourage problems like algae blooms, which soon subside and begin a cycle of decomposition, releasing toxins into the water, which often causes massive fish deaths. Chemicals used to mitigate these issues, as well as antibiotics or other treatments, are used to combat numerous problems associated with overcrowding. In fish pens located in a large natural body of water, diseases, parasites, and other pathogens can mix freely with the wild population. In self-contained fish farms, on the other hand, complete water changes are required several times per year to manage these problems. In a time when fresh, unpolluted water is at a premium, this is a high price to pay. In contrast, aquaponics take advantage of the symbiotic relationship between fish and plants and operate in a closed system that prevents introduction of diseases and parasites. The plants maintain a water quality that is ideal for the fish and the fish produce waste that is converted into nutrients for the plants. Water is recirculated without ever needing to be changed and is far, far more efficient and sustainable way to produce food.
