Aquaculture America 2023

February 23 - 26, 2023

New Orleans, Louisiana USA

AQUACULTURE: IT IS TIME TO FOCUS ON THE QUALITY

 

Dr. Ahmed Mustafa

 

 

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN 46805, USA

 Email: mustafaa@pfw.edu

 



 The world’s population is  also  rising and the subsequent demand for high protein sources of food is rising with it. Hence, a quaculture is rising in prevalence and importance in today’s society with the increase in fish consumption and the limitations imposed by normal fishing methods. A push for healthier sources of protein is also increasing demand. Other sources of protein such as cattle and other livestock are not adequate to meet the demand due to a lack of grazing area, climate limitations, long time spans to harvest, and other considerations. Wild fish populations are not large enough to meet this demand and many populations are showing signs of overharvesting. Aquaculture offers a solution to these issues by providing a high protein food that requires less space to farm, a faster harvest time, lower cost to produce, and is less detrimental to the environment. However, current aquaculture techniques involve the use of antibiotics and other chemicals in order to reduce disease and mortality within the crops. Disease and mortality present a significant problem in that farmed fish are in crowded conditions leading to certain results. They are susceptible to contagious diseases that can spread rapidly in close quarters as well as their stress levels are increased in these unnatural conditions. This increase in stress over time leads to a reduction in immune response and therefore an increase in susceptibility. In order to provide solutions to the problems of farming and the needs of the people without the use of potentially harmful substances many researchers are looking in to the use of nutraceuticals (feed additives) in feed in order to decrease stress responses, increase immune responses, increase growth, and increase the nutritional value of farmed aquatic animals – both fish and shellfish. In this presentation, I will highlight all these issues and suggest solutions.