What is the main idea of the passage? Aquaculture is the science and practice of growing fish for food that is gaining popularity. Although aquaculture has serious consequences, it can help the world meet its growing demand for seafood. China leads the world in aquaculture, but the industry is growing in many other countries. Aquaculture is an ancient practice that has been used all over the world for thousands of years. Reading Passage open the passage in a new window Aquaculture: Hatching a Solution to World Hunger? by Anna Thomas 1 If you enjoy eating baked fish, shrimp gumbo, crab cakes, or boiled lobster, you're in luck. Nutritionists say that seafood is healthier to eat than other kinds of animal protein. It is low in fat and cholesterol, and high in the omega-3 oils that promote both heart health and brain development. Current United States Department of Agriculture guidelines suggest that Americans eat two to three seafood meals a week ("Let's Eat" 2). Unfortunately, most Americans do not consume that amount of fish. 2 However, even if Americans were willing to eat more fish, would the world's seas be able to provide it? Many places in the world are already fished to their limits, and many native fish populations are dwindling to record lows. In order to meet even current global consumption rates, experts at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimate that the world will need another forty million tons of seafood per year by 2030 ("Basic Questions" 4). Where will all this fish come from? Many people think that the answer is aquaculture. A photo shows an indoor fish farm with many large round tanks On this fish farm, fish are raised in a tightly controlled environment. What Is Aquaculture? 3 Aquaculture is the science and practice of growing fish for food; in other words, aquaculture is fish farming. Like plant farmers, fish farmers oversee the natural life cycle of what they farm. Fish farmers “plant” (or hatch) their “crops” (fish) in “fields” (places called hatcheri