A Review of Aquaponics: Concept, Current Situation and Development

Abstract

In the face of global warming, environmental pollution, population growth, and the degradation of biodiversity and natural resources, sustainable farming practices have become crucial and should be explored and implemented. Aquaponics is an agricultural system that integrates aquaculture and hydroponics in the application of sustainable farming technologies. The nitrogen-rich biomass produced by aquatic life is used to feed crops, while the feeding process also acts as a natural filtering system that maintains the habitat of aquatic life. This article divides the development history of aquaponics into three stages: the origin stage (before the 1960s), the initial stage (1960s), and the development stage (after the 2010s). Five typical aquaponic models are compared and analyzed. This work suggests that the basic theory of the aquaponic system should be studied thoroughly, and the intelligent and industrial development trends of the system should be explored. These studies can provide sufficient evidence and concrete references for large-scale applications of aquaponics.