| Although aquaculture has been practised for many centuries, it was in the past on quite a modest scale and limited to a few species e.g. carp. However, in recent decades, aquaculture has shown very rapid expansion. This is partly because catches of wild fish have expanded at a slower rate than demand and many new scientific and technological advances have been made in aquaculture. Furthermore, by the mid-1990s evidence available to scientists indicated that catches of wild fish had either reached, nearly reached or even exceeded their sustainable limits (Williams, 1997). Consequently, according to Meryl Williams (1997, p.18), Director of ICLARM, now “aquaculture is the major, though not sole hope, for improving the world’s fish production”. Aquaculture,... |
