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ZOOARCHAEOLOGY

The origins of aquaculture

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 3, pages 1378–1379 (2019)Cite this article

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Measurement comparisons of ancient and modern carp push back the initial stages of aquaculture to 6000 bc, raising the possibility that rice paddy and fish co-culture systems are much older than previously thought. This research suggests carp were later independently domesticated twice, once in Europe and once in Asia.

Common carp Cyprinus carpio are the earliest truly domesticated fish1 and the third most productive farmed fish today2. Despite their modern value, questions surround their wild origins, the process by which they became used for aquaculture, and the date and location of subsequent domestication. The wild ancestor of the common carp was present in two regions, an eastern population in China, Laos and Vietnam, and a western population in the Black, Caspian and Aral sea drainages3,4. Writing in Nature Ecology & Evolution, Nakajima and colleagues show that the earliest evidence for carp aquaculture comes from China, comparing archaeological fish remains and modern carp raised in a traditional rice paddy field5.

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  1. Archaeology Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Kirkwall, UK

    Jennifer Harland

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  1. Jennifer Harland
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Correspondence to Jennifer Harland.

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Harland, J. The origins of aquaculture. Nat Ecol Evol 3, 1378–1379 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0966-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0966-3

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