Aquaculture in Malaysia faces multiple challenges that hinder the sector’s efficiency and long-term sustainability. This study aims to identify and analyse key obstacles faced by aquaculture farmers, focusing on labour, feed costs, and water quality. A survey was conducted with 25 local farmers from various culture practices between January to June 2024. This study showed 100% of the farmers relied on foreign labour for groundwork. However, this led to issues of human error, often exacerbated by a lack of training and language barriers, despite the cost benefits compared to local labour. Most farmers were affected by the rising feed cost and uncertain market price of the fish, causing them to switch culture species from time to time. The cost of feed has surged by 20-25% in the past year, driven by the high reliance on imported fishmeal, fish oil, and soybean meal. While alternative feed options like algae meal and black soldier fly larvae show promise, their cost and environmental impacts require careful consideration. Water quality degradation, largely caused by poor resource management and pollution, has emerged as a critical concern, contributing to disease outbreaks and increased operational costs, particularly in shrimp farming. Ten out of 25 farmers are spending 5-12% of operational cost on water treatment before use for farming. Addressing these challenges will require a combination of technological solutions, regulatory improvements, and sustainable resource management practices.
Keywords: aquaculture challenges; constrains; fish farming; Malaysia