The aim of this course is to enable students to learn the fundamental principles of aquaculture, production systems, and the main species cultivated, and to provide them with theoretical and practical knowledge on fish health management, disease identification, preventive medicine practices, and vaccination methods.

This course examines the historical development, current production capacity, and economic importance of aquaculture worldwide and in Türkiye. It analyzes the development process of aquaculture in response to the increasing global demand for aquatic products, the decline in natural stocks, and the need for sustainable production. It also evaluates aquaculture activities concentrated particularly in the Aegean and Black Sea regions of Türkiye and the species that are commonly cultivated. Within the scope of the course, the general structure of cultured fish production facilities is introduced. Fundamental production units such as hatcheries, fry rearing units, grow-out units, pond systems, and cage systems are explained. Rearing techniques applied in rivers, ponds, reservoirs, and marine cage systems are comparatively examined within the framework of intensive, semi-intensive, and extensive production models. The course analyzes the suitability criteria of freshwater and marine fish species for aquaculture in terms of environmental tolerance, growth performance, feed conversion ratios, and market value. In this context, the biological characteristics and farming techniques of trout, carp, salmon, sea bass, and sea bream are discussed in detail. The course also comprehensively addresses fish health management. Major bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal diseases observed in trout, sea bass, and sea bream are evaluated together with their etiological agents, transmission routes, clinical signs, and economic impacts. Health management practices for early diagnosis and the prevention of production losses are emphasized. Furthermore, the course covers preventive medicine principles in aquaculture, biosecurity practices, water quality management, stress control, and routine health monitoring. In the final section, vaccination methods applied in cultured fish (injection, immersion, and oral vaccination) are explained, and the importance of vaccination in disease prevention is highlighted. The course aims to provide students with a theoretical and practice-oriented perspective on fish production techniques and fish health management.