Sustainable Aquaculture Techniques

As population continues to grow and consumers become increasingly convinced of the health benefits of eating seafood, market demands for seafood will expand in the years to come. Fisheries are stagnating and might even level off, so aquaculture will have to grow even faster. Fresh water will become increasingly scarce in the decades ahead and, considering available global resources for food extraction or production, it is clear that land for cropsand pasture will come under serious pressure.

Because water is an ideal environment for microbial development, the role of bacteria—beneficial and harmful—in aquaculture systems requires much more research attention. Beneficial bacteria, as probiotics and as part of biofloc systems in water quality control, will convert organic waste matter into nutritious biomass. This could greatly contribute to increased sustainability and more secure production systems, through reducing needs for water exchange and more efficient feed conversion.

That is why a better understanding of aquaculture ecosystem, better cultivation practices, and greater effort in the creation of prophylaxis and therapeutic measures should be priorities in aquaculture. The ultimate aim should be to develop new hatchery practices and apply innovative techniques for sustainable aquaculture.