The wide range of species reared, species requirements, water resources, and regional preferences create the need for a wide variety of aquaculture production systems. Factors such as the interaction between water temperature and water quality and the feeding, growth, and survival of aquatic species cause the design of aquatic production systems to be much more location-specific and site-specific than the designs of systems for terrestrial animal agriculture. Economic and regulatory pressures are continuing to change the characteristics of aquatic production systems.