Aquaculture has been suggested as a partial solution to world food problems. Development projects in the Third World have been supported by international, national, and private agencies interested in improving the quality and quantity of food throughout the world. Some of these projects have failed: some because of inadequate attention to social, economic, and political factors; others because of inadequate understanding of the mechanics of fish culture. Learning from these mistakes, developers of Third World aquaculture can plan future projects more carefully.