Just as the earth, the ocean holds bounty for humans, riches come in the form of fish. With 90 million tons of seafood caught in the ocean every year (Walsh, Ramzy and Horn). The ocean, once considered an inexhaustible source of food, has continued to become depleted over the past fifty years. The Food and Agriculture Organization reports “that 32% of global fish stocks are overfished, depleted or recovering and in need of urgent rebuilding.” (“The state of the world's fisheries and aquaculture”) While larger species of fish such as marlin, swordfish and tuna have been fished out by up to 90% (“The state of the world's fisheries and aquaculture ”). As the world's population grew to 7 billion people, so did its taste for fish. Today, global demand for seafood has reached 38 pounds of fish per year, the United States alone eats 7 million pounds of seafood per year (Walsh, Ramzy and Horn) and the US Department of Agriculture United States (USDA) recently increased the recommended consumption of seafood. seafood at more than double what the average American eats today, now 8 oz. or more per week (www.cnpp.usda.govs). With global fleets' wild catches plateauing in the mid-1990s (Walsh, Ramzy and Horn), wild ocean fishing simply can no longer keep up with global demand for seafood, not by itself, in any case. Aquaculture can help the ocean feed the worlds growing population and, in turn, help the ocean replenish wild fisheries. Aquaculture, or fish farming, “the propagation and cultivation of aquatic organisms in controlled or selected environments,” as defined by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture). Aquaculture has been around for thousands of years, with evidence of fish... middle of the paper... farmed and wild-caught fish, as well as the total supply of fish available for human consumption, will depend on future aquaculture practices (Walsh, Ramzy and Horn),Worked CitedFood and Agriculture Organization (FOA): The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. (2010). Network. December 1, 2013Department of Agriculture (USDA): www.cnpp.usda.gov/dietaryguidelines. (2010). Network. 01 December 2013Sharpless, Andy. Interview by Esther Sung. The perfect protein: questions and answers with Andy Sharpless, 2013. Web. 01 DEC. 2013.Simpson, Sarah. "The blue food revolution". Scientific American 304.2 (2011): 54-61. EBSCO. Network. 17 September 2013. US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture. (2013). Network. 01 DEC. 2013. Walsh, Bryan, Austin Ramzy, and Robert Horn. "The end of the line." Time 178.3 (2011): 28-36. EBSCO. Network. 17 September. 2013.