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The fish-farming industry in the Netherlands consists of eel farms, European catfish farms and a small number of trout farms and only two seafish farms.

Dutch fish farms make use of recirculation systems. In a recirculation system the water is constantly filtered and purified, which means the water is almost fully reused. Improved technology has completely solved the ammonia and nitrate issues. Besides the environment, there is a great deal of attention for the welfare of the fish.

Cultivating shellfish has been a tradition for many centuries. Shellfish are farmed in underwater plots, the farming plots, in the Wadden Sea, Oosterschelde and lake Grevelingenmeer. The raw material, the seed or spat, is fished from natural banks and transferred to plots for further growth. Shellfish live on nutrients in the water, which makes it a culture that is closely matched to nature. This also means that the industry is dependent on the natural circumstances, and over the last few years much work has been carried out to reduce the disadvantages of this dependence.