What Is Mariculture? Scope, Science, and Why It Matters Now
Framing the question: why mariculture has re-entered the policy core As capture fisheries approach both ecological and economic limits, marine aquaculture is increasingly framed—not as an option—but as a necessity within future food systems . This reframing explains why mariculture has moved from the margins of coastal development plans to the centre of global food, climate, and ocean governance discourse. Mariculture—the farming of aquatic organisms in marine and coastal waters—ha existed for decades. What has changed is not its biological feasibility, but the context in which it is evaluated. Today, mariculture is assessed through the lenses of food security, climate resilience , coastal livelihoods , and the blue economy . Institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Bank , and national research systems including the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) increasingly treat mariculture as a governed production system r...