Aquaculture is an activity that aims to reproduce and cultivate various aquatic organisms. Its object is a wide range of plants and animals, which differ not only in their biology, but also in their habitat and the environment in which they are grown - oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, swamps, artificial reservoirs and various types of facilities. Of this diversity, there is a unifying element in all of them and that is water as a vital environment for their life. Worldwide, more than 150 species of aquatic organisms are cultivated, among them there are representatives of both fauna and flora. Most are fish - marine and freshwater, mussels, crustaceans and various aquatic plants. The object of aquaculture are also considered to be some amphibians such as frogs, turtles, crocodiles, etc., in which certain stages of their development must take place in an aquatic environment. In addition to food, hydrobionts are used by humans as a raw material for the production of various industrial products.

The roots of aquaculture are laid in ancient China, where aquarium fish were raised 3,000 years ago, but as an economic industry, fish farming dates back to approximately 2,400 years ago. It is believed that this activity is transferred from China to the countries around the Mediterranean. From the Roman Empire, fish farming was transferred to Central and Western Europe.

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing agricultural industries in the world. According to the FAO, world production of aquatic organisms (from catch and aquaculture) has made steady progress, reaching 133.0 million tonnes in 2002. For a period of 30 years, a twofold increase in the total amount of aquatic organisms available on the market has been reported, a significant part of which is due to the rapid development of aquaculture. According to the FAO forecast in 2020, half of the total production of aquatic organisms obtained from capture and cultivation will be from aquaculture.