Collaborative opportunities between fish nutrition and other disciplines in aquaculture: an overview

Demand for seafood currently exceeds wild harvest but increased production from aquaculture has so far supplied the difference between demand and supply. Seafood harvest from the oceans is unlikely to increase further, thus increasing demand for seafood must be supplied by increased aquaculture production.

For aquaculture production to increase, many technological problems must be overcome including insufficient fish meal supplies, broodstock and seed stock production, and water resources. Slow growth rates of some fish species and losses due to disease are also major problems that currently limit expanded aquaculture production.

Improvements in feed formulation, feed ingredient modification and agronomy, reproductive physiology, genetics and breeding, and health management made over the past 40 years in agriculture provide a guide for scientists working on the problems limiting higher aquaculture production. Based upon the experience of animal breeders, improving fish growth rates through selective breeding has tremendous potential.

Another factor limiting expanded aquaculture production is its effect on the aquatic environment. Thus, reducing the environmental effects of aquaculture through improvements in nutrient utilization by fish and capture of waste products is critical for aquaculture production to increase. Fish nutritionists must improve fish feeds during a period of increasing world demand for the fish meal, traditionally the main protein source for fish feeds.

Developing alternate protein sources for fish feeds which support rapid fish growth but do not increase pollution from aquaculture will require the combined efforts of all of the major scientific disciplines that collectively constitute aquaculture.