Fishermen and farmers alike are taking to the waters to produce protein to feed the world—from finfish to shellfish to seaweed.

Aquaculture, sometimes called aquafarming, is the breeding, raising, growing, and harvesting of aquatic organisms in fresh and salt water for human consumption and conservation alike—and the nuances of what it entails are vast. 

Dating back more than 4,000 years, aquaculture gradually expanded from China to the rest of the world, and has gained most of its popularity in the 21st century. Today, it’s the fastest growing industry for producing protein, one of the basic building blocks of our diet.

Plus, over 50 percent of the world’s seafood comes from aquaculture.

“The debate is over,” says Daniel Benetti, the director of aquaculture