Aquaculture glossary, A–Z.

An aquaculture RFQ (Request for Quotation) is a structured document that describes a fish or shrimp farming project in enough technical detail for suppliers to price the same scope. It states species, system type, production target, water conditions and the equipment packages required.

Shrimp farming is the controlled production of shrimp — most commonly Litopenaeus vannamei — in ponds, lined ponds, biofloc systems or recirculating systems. Production is organised in cycles from post-larvae through nursery to grow-out.

Fish farming is the controlled production of finfish in ponds, cages, tanks, raceways or recirculating systems. Species, water temperature and market size determine the system and the equipment package.

A Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) treats and reuses most of its water — typically 90–99% per day — using mechanical filtration, biological nitrification, oxygenation and CO₂ removal. It allows production independent of climate and with very low water intake.

Cage farming grows fish in net pens suspended in a lake, reservoir or the sea. The cage structure, net and mooring system are engineered to the site's depth, current and wave exposure.

Pond farming produces fish or shrimp in earthen or lined ponds, from extensive systems with little intervention to intensive lined ponds with heavy aeration. Water exchange, aeration and pond preparation define the intensity level.

A hatchery produces eggs, larvae, post-larvae or fingerlings from broodstock for supply to nurseries and grow-out farms. It combines incubation, larval rearing, water treatment and often live feed production.

A nursery is the intermediate stage between hatchery and grow-out, where juveniles are grown in a controlled environment to a larger, more robust transfer size. It is common in shrimp and increasingly in finfish.

The grow-out system is where juveniles are raised to market size — in ponds, cages, tanks, raceways or a recirculating system. It represents most of the biomass, most of the feed and most of the equipment cost.

Stocking density is the live weight of fish or shrimp per unit of water volume (kg/m³) or pond area (kg/m² or t/ha). It is stated either at stocking or, more usefully for equipment sizing, at maximum biomass.

Biomass is the total live weight of stock held in a system, expressed in kilograms or tonnes. Standing biomass is the weight present at one moment; peak biomass is the maximum reached during a cycle.

FCR is the kilograms of feed required to produce one kilogram of live weight gain. A lower FCR means more efficient feed use; it varies by species, feed quality, temperature and management.

Aeration is the transfer of oxygen into the water and the removal of dissolved gases, using paddlewheels, diffused air, aspirators, injectors or pure oxygen systems. It is measured by oxygen transfer rate and energy efficiency.

Oxygen demand is the amount of dissolved oxygen consumed per unit time by the stock, the biofilter and the organic load in the system. It rises with biomass, feeding rate and water temperature.

Water flow is the volumetric rate of water moving through a system, expressed in m³/h or as turnovers per hour. In recirculating systems it determines how quickly waste is removed and oxygen replenished.

Pumps move water through intake, recirculation, drainage and treatment loops. They are specified by flow (m³/h), total dynamic head (m), fluid type, duty hours and material class.

Filtration removes solids and converts dissolved waste in an aquaculture system. Mechanical filtration (screens, drum filters, bead filters) removes particles; biological filtration converts ammonia to nitrate through nitrification.

Water treatment in aquaculture covers two distinct directions: treating incoming water so it is safe for stock, and treating outgoing water so it meets discharge limits. Each has its own equipment and design basis.

Aquaculture monitoring uses sensors, loggers and connectivity to measure water quality continuously and raise alarms. IoT systems may also control equipment such as aerators, pumps and feeders.

A feeding system distributes feed to the stock — manually, with automatic feeders, with blowers or from a feed barge. It includes storage, conveying, dosing and, increasingly, feedback control.

Biosecurity is the set of structures, protocols and equipment that keep pathogens out of a farm or hatchery and prevent their spread inside it. It covers water treatment, zoning, quarantine, disinfection and staff movement.

Aquaculture ROI is the return generated by a project relative to the capital invested, driven by CAPEX, OPEX (feed, energy, labour), survival, FCR, cycle count and achieved farmgate price.

Supplier-neutral matching means routing a buyer's request to suitable suppliers based on the project specification rather than on a fixed commercial relationship with any one manufacturer. The platform does not manufacture or resell the equipment it routes.

A project financing partner is an independent external institution or investor that may consider funding part of a large project. FishMatch does not provide loans, credit, interest rates, financing commitments or financial advice.

A biofilter is the biological treatment stage of a recirculating aquaculture system. Bacteria growing on a media surface convert toxic ammonia excreted by the stock into nitrite and then into far less toxic nitrate, allowing the same water to be re-used.

The cold chain is the unbroken temperature-controlled path from harvest through chilling, processing, freezing, storage and transport to the buyer. In aquaculture it starts at the pond or tank edge, not at the processing plant door.

Feed formulation is the specification of an aquafeed's composition — protein, lipid, carbohydrate, fibre, ash, vitamins and minerals — and its physical form, such as pellet size, water stability and whether it sinks or floats. Formulation is matched to species, life stage and production system.

Pond design is the engineering layout of an aquaculture pond farm: pond size and depth, embankment and lining, inlet and outlet structures, water supply and drainage, aeration layout and harvest access. It converts a production target into a buildable site plan.

Water quality is the set of measured conditions the stock lives in: dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, carbon dioxide, salinity, suspended solids and, in marine systems, specific ions. Each parameter has a safe band per species and life stage.