Agriculture is a science. Horticulture is a science. Soil science, aquaculture, olericulture, microbiology -these are rigorous, peer-reviewed, empirically driven disciplines. They require years of study, a mastery of chemistry, genetics, fluid dynamics, and cellular biology. They are the foundational pillars that keep the human race from starving to death.
Then, there is aquaponics.
Let us be unequivocally clear: aquaponics is not a science. It is a marketing portmanteau. It is a catchy little buzzword slapped onto a compromised, unstable backyard hobby so that companies can sell plastic to suburbanites looking for a hobby. To elevate this glorified plumbing experiment to the level of actual agronomy is an insult to every researcher currently working in a real laboratory.