This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English AgricultureReport.

Fish is an important food for many people. In some places, it isthe only animal protein to be found. For years, scientists haveworried about supplies of ocean fish. As wild catches havedecreased, many nations have turned to fish farming.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says farmedfish represented four percent of world fish production innineteen-seventy. By two-thousand it was twenty-seven percent.

China is the largest producer of fish, farmed or wild. Intwo-thousand, China harvested about twenty-five million tons offarmed fish. India, Japan and Thailand are also big producers.

Fish farming has long been considered a way to improve the dietsof people in developing areas. The F.A.O. says developing nationsproduce ninety percent of all farmed fish.

But there are some problems connected with fish farming. Criticssay it can cause not just water pollution. They say there is also"genetic pollution" when farmed fish reproduce with wild fish.

Others say that farming some kinds of seafood is wasteful. Theyargue that salmon and eel, for example, eat more resources than theyprovide. Often they are fed with products prepared from wild fish.

Also, a recent study of farmed salmon found that their food maycontain higher levels of industrial pollution than salmon eat in thewild. But these levels were still well within legal limits.

Another issue involves the lack of international rules about theuse of antibiotics in farming. Some farmers feed these drugs tofish, just like cows and other animals, to prevent infections. TheF.A.O. notes that there can be health risks to humans who eat thedrugs through their food. Experts are concerned that this alsoreduces the effectiveness of antibiotics.

The farmed fish industry is growing quickly in Asia. It is alsogrowing in other parts of the world, including North America. In theUnited States, the value of the aquaculture industry has reachedone-thousand-million dollars. That is one-third the value of thecapture fishing industry.

But scientists say most kinds of wild fish have been harvestedtoo much. Farmed fish can help reduce pressure on populations in thewild. Still, experts and organizations like the F.A.O. warn thatjust like any other kind of farming, good methods are required.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by MarioRitter. This is Steve Ember.