What is aquaculture?
Aquaculture or aquiculture is nothing but the cultivation of aquatic animals in a secure environment. The commonly cultivated organisms encompass crustaceans, algae, fishes, aquatic plants, mollusks, and other essential aquatic organisms. It is crucial to perform aquaculture to sustain the environmental balance and subsequently preserve these aquatic organisms.
Differences between aquaculture and mariculture:
Cultivation of organisms from both salt water and fresh water populations is possible by controlling specific conditions. However, this completely differs from that of commercial fishing elements. Commercial fishing necessarily relates the harvesting of wild fish. People also practice aquaculture in underwater habitats and marine environments. This may refer to mariculture.
Significance of aquaculture:
“The farming of aquatic organisms”, as referred by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is utterly necessary for commercial purposes and conservational purposes of aquatic organisms. There is a sort of intervention in the typical rearing process to enhance the rate of production. These positive interventions may refer to enhanced feeding methodologies and protection from predators.
The demand for aqua feed and the subcategories of aquaculture:
The requirement of aqua feed is quintessential to sustain the procedure of aquaculture triumphantly. The most commercially farmed variety is Atlantic salmon as it imposes ease in farming techniques. Amino acids are the most dominant in the market scene. The most commonly reported outputs from aquaculture implicate the commercialized production of fishes and shellfishes. Human beings subsequently consume them on a direct market basis. There are specific aquaculture varieties. This encompasses oyster farming, algaculture that includes seaweed farming, mariculture, fish farming, cultivation of ornamental fish and shrimp farming.
The significance of aqua culture additives:
The typical supplement of additives employed in aqua feed is in small quantities. The final product has to fulfill various requirements. The employment of additives fulfills such requirements. The most common requirements encompass the enhancement of the quality of fish as a final product, maintenance of the quality of the aquatic environment and the preservation of the physical and chemical quality of the diet.
The growing demand for aqua culture additives:
Additives can be either nutritive or non-nutritive ingredients. The cultivation of fishes in an antibiotic-free environment has significantly pushed the hype for additives in the market scene of aquaculture feeds. The quality and safety of seafood are other such pivotal factors that have created awareness amongst people to opt for safe dietary immunostimulants as a substitute to antibiotics. In the recent years, numerous researchers have contributed to the development of promising additives in aqua feed.