Aquaculture Africa 2023

November 13 - 16, 2023

Lusaka, Zambia

AQUACULTURE SUSTAINABILITY: BETTER FISH, BETTER ENVIRONMENT

Margarida Saavedra

 

 Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere ,  Rua Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho, nº6, 1495-006 Lisbon, Portugal

 



The role of aquaculture in the supply of fish in the future is undeniable . The consumption of fish products has several benefits for human health due to the quality of its protein, fatty acid profiles and supply of minerals and vitamins. Aquaculture is the fastest growing animal industry but because it uses natural resources, it causes environmental changes. Fish farming has evolved throughout many decades but the search for environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions are one of the current concerns.  There are several  paths towards sustainability  either by  a) feed formulation , which is important in terms of  fish meal replacement and  optimisation according to  fish nutritional requirements, b)  the adoption of environmentally friendly  farming such as  Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA)  and  c) increasing fish welfare and consequently reduce stress. The three paths have an i mportant impact on both fish quality and environment, with the first path  being the centre of much research and the latter  still giving its first steps. This presentation will focus on the development of  feed formulation,  the adaptation of already existent models to embrace IMTA, leading to better fish quality and better environment and  explain  why  we should pay more attention to fish welfare.