Fish meal has a great nutritional value and meets the high protein requirement for culturing fish. However, its production is not sustainable for global economies and marine food webs. Insects, a valuable alternative, are high in protein, amino acids, and lipids. They are easy to rear and carnivorous species can digest them more efficiently than plant-based alternatives. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) substitute diets have been proven effective in the culturing of many fish species (i.e. salmon, catfish, tilapia, etc.) but have not been intensely studied on warm water marine species such as Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Red drum are regarded for their desirable taste and have a very high market value. They are a carnivorous species that feed on crustaceans and small fish. We believe BSFL has the potential to serve as an effective protein substitute in pelleted diets for this species. The objective of this study is to calculate the appropriate BSFL substitution for optimum growth, while also investigating any potential nutritional limitations or negative health effects of BSFL diets. In this study, juvenile red drum were fed five different pelleted diets. The diets were formulated with fish meal and BSFL substitutions of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. The fly larvae that the diets were derived from, were grown on a substrate composed of apple by-product. The fish initially weighed SD 40g each and were fed daily at 5% body weight over two separate feedings. Fish were weighed every two weeks so adjustments could be made to feeding quantities. After 8 weeks, the fish will be accessed for growth, survival, physiology, and nutritional content. After 4 weeks, fish fed the 0% and 25% substitutions both experienced a standardized growth rate of 78%. Fish fed the 100% substitution experienced the lowest growth rate at 53%. Although 4 weeks are remaining in the study, we expect these trends to continue. The outcome of this study will help further the development of BSFL derived feeds for commercial use in US finfish aquaculture for food production.