Define Pisciculture.

Hint: Artificial means of breeding of fish. A commercial method for the breeding of fishes. A method that involves releasing juvenile fishes into the wild for recreational fishing. Pisciculture is the form of aquaculture while most of the other methods come under mariculture.

Complete answer:
The process of reproduction, rearing, and transplantation of fish in artificial conditions in a controlled manner is known as Pisciculture. This method is also called fish farming. Fishes are raised commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. The most common fish raised by fish farms are tilapia, salmon, carp, and catfish.

Various factors such as water conditions, temperature, chemical conditions, and the environment should be monitored for successful breeding.

Pisciculture can be distinguished into two types:
- The rearing of young fishes to an edible stage.
- Natural water eggs are stocked from captured breeders.

The importance of pisciculture is –
- It plays a vital role in fulfilling the needs in food production, as the demand for fish is increasing steadily.
- Stable supply of demand.
- Artificial feed enhances the growth ratio of fishes and thus increases its production rate.
- It helps to utilize paddy fields that can be used for culturing fishes.
- Provides employment.

Note: Pisciculture is the main form of aquaculture. Pisciculture is different from aquaculture as in the former one only the culture and rearing of the fishes is performed whereas the latter involves the culture and rearing of the fish as well as other aquatic organisms such as mollusks, fish, crustaceans, algae, and aquatic plants among other organisms.