Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks and aquatic plants. It involves cultivating these populations under controlled conditions and can be contrasted with commercial fishing which harvests wild populations. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production system and almost half of the seafood consumed worldwide now comes from aquaculture farms. Aquaculture has a long history dating back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and China and continues to grow in importance to meet the rising global demand for seafood.