Read the text and translate. Be ready to discuss.

Aquaculture is the controlled process of cultivating aquatic organisms, especially for human consumption. It’s a similar concept to agriculture, but with fish instead of plants or livestock. Aquaculture is also referred to as fish farming. The seafood that you find at your local grocery store is likely labeled as farmed fish. Aquaculture can happen all over the world, and it does: in coastal ocean waters, freshwater ponds and rivers, and even on land in tanks. The concept is not a new one-fish culture began in China perhaps as much as 4000 years ago. The Egyptian tombs have pictographs indicating that certain types of fishes were being reared during the days of the Pharaons, and oyster culture was being practiced under the Roman Empire. Most people think of aquaculture as the production of aquatic animals for human consumption, and many of the aquaculture efforts around the world are being conducted for that purpose. However, there are other purposes for which aquatic organisms are grown. Examples include producing minnows for bait, rearing tropical fishes and gold fish for the aquarium trade and producing ornamental aquatic plants (water lilies). In addition, the often large-scale hatchery programs that exist in the various state and provinces of North America and throughout the world produce fishes for release into streams, lakes, reservoirs and the marine environment to enhance commercial and recreational fisheries as well as to repopulate water bodies with endangered and threatened species. Aquatic plants are also produced for human consumption. In the Orient, for example, seaweed production (e.g., red and brown algae) involves the labour of several hundreds of thousands of people. The seaweeds may be consumed directly by man or extracts may be obtained that become components of a variety of substances each of us uses every day. Ice cream, toothpaste, cosmetics and a wide range of other house hold items contain extracts from seaweeds. Some of those businesses are very large, and they are legitimate aquaculture enterprises.

The methods of aquaculture’s farm-to-table process can differ from species to species. Generally, there are four stages of the production chain, starting in hatcheries and ending at the seafood counter in your grocery store.

Each of these stages can vary with respect to its effect on the environment and the quality and safety of the seafood they produce, which is why the Global Aquaculture Alliance administers the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-parton program. In the past, fish farms have had issues with respect to these four aspects of aquaculture, and BAP seeks to improve the fish farming industry across the globe. This is the only certification program that covers every step of the supply chain. You can be sure your seafood was farmed responsibly if it has the BAP logo on it! The first stage in the aquaculture production chain is the hatchery. This is where the breeding of fish, hatching of eggs and rearing of fish through the early life stages happens. Once the animals are mature enough, they are transferred to the farm, where they are grown to harvest size, using feed produced at feed mills (another stage of aquaculture). The fish are then transported to a processing facility, where they are packaged and sent to food retailers and grocery stores. That’s where you come in. Given that overfishing of our oceans and other natural resources is continuously increasing year over year, humans need alternate sources for seafood to feed the planet’s ever-growing population. “Unfortunately, the days of the ocean’s natural productivity providing for the planet is over. Wild fish have been exploited for generations. Some estimate that the annual catch of edible marine protein has already passed its peak. The oceans cannot naturally provide the demand for seafood”. Aquaculture is the tool to fill in the gap of seafood supply. Farming fish responsibly and sustainably is the solution to providing future generations with access to healthy and environmentally friendly protein options.

Not only is aquaculture necessary, it is also a sustainable option for consumers, especially in comparison to other farmed proteins. Seafood is highly resource efficient — it has the highest protein retention compared to chicken, pork and beef. It also has the lowest feed conversion ratio among the same forms of protein. Aquaculture has lower greenhouse gas emissions than other types of farming. With an anticipated 10 billion people expected to inhabit the planet by 2050, the demand for animal protein will increase by 52 percent. Sustainable and healthy approaches to feeding the world are more critical than ever before. In order to sustainably feed the world’s growing population with a healthy, lean protein, aquaculture’s role is of the utmost importance. The primary responsibility of aquaculture is to efficiently complement wild-caught fish options to increase the amount of seafood available worldwide.

Aquaculture has the potential to improve the health of our planet and the health of our population, as long as it is done in a manner that is environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and considers food safety and animal welfare.

 

 

Exercise 125. Read and translate the following word s and word combinations from Russian into English.

Аквакультура, водные организмы, продовольственный магазин, прибрежные воды океана, пресноводные пруды, реки, резервуары, выращивание тропических рыб, аквариумная торговля, декоративные водные растения, рекреационное рыболовство, исчезающие виды, инкубационные программы, розничные торговцы продуктами питания, съедобный морской белок, сохранение белка, благополучие животных, перелов рыбы.