History of Aquaculture

Southern NJ has a long history of shellfish culture. Here is an active old wooden oyster boat tied up to a dock where oyster shells are being prepared for reuse.
(Credit: David Alves)

Most people are surprised to learn that aquaculture has such a long history. The first written work on aquaculture was in China in 500BC. Aquaculture in the US has a history going back to the 1790’s. For an example, the first shellfish lease in Rhode Island was granted in 1798 and the first Rhode Island legislation concerning aquaculture was passed in 1844.

Click on the following links to find out more about the fascinating history of aquaculture. 

• How Aquaculture Works -- This link takes you to an informative set of web pages on aquaculture.
• History Of Aquaculture -- This page takes you to a detailed world history of aquaculture published by the United Nations.
• 2006 Rhode Island Aquaculture Report -- This link takes you to a report which contains an interesting article on the history of shellfish aquaculture in RI.

For more information on the Northeast Region Aquaculture Programs, please contact David Alves
at (978) 281-9210 or David.Alves@noaa.gov