Sustainable Aquaculture

Currently, we see a growing demand for aquatic foods and as a consequence the growth of aquaculture production worldwide. It is imperative that this growth is properly managed in a sustainable way, supporting the environmental, economic and social aspects. For this, several works have been made to improve management and create new techniques that allow for the sustainable development of the activity.

As any activity of the branch of production, aquaculture has positive and negative impacts. Despite the social and economic benefits related to job creation and technological development, the activity is considered to be impacting the environment mainly because nutrient amount wasted during the processes involved and the protein source used in the formulation of commercial feed. Seeking to reduce these impacts, some management techniques are already used in aquaculture ventures. The use of recirculation systems with biological filter, the use of effluent for vegetable production and cultivation systems with zero water exchange are examples of nutrient management seeking responsible use of resources. One of the main current discussions that live aquaculture production chain is the partial or total replacement of fish meal by ingredients of plant origin. However, it has been difficult to find the ingredient to replace fish meal and keep the zootechnic rates and feed conversion. To that must be fetched alternatives for composition and formulation of diet with the goal of finding the ideal combination and balance of nutrients. In addition, aquaculture presents a huge potential in the search for alternative energy sources through the development of research for use of biofuel from microalgae and macroalgae biomass. The most important thing when you want to start an aquaculture production is planning. To seek sustainability several factors should be analyzed before any decision, since the volume of water to be used up to what will be done with the waste. The techniques used successfully by a producer may not always apply to all because every project has its peculiarities. The aim of this book is to present the current aquaculture situation related to aspects of sustainability, showing different techniques and managements that are used in search of intelligent use of available resources.