Projections suggest that by 2050 the world’s population will be close to 9.7 billion. Such rapid growth will put extra pressure on food supplies, making secure and sustainable nutrition strategies more important than ever. Among the possible solutions, aquaculture has a special place. It provides a steady source of animal protein and, compared with many other food production systems, leaves a smaller environmental footprint. Yet the sector faces a major challenge: about one-third of the catch from fisheries and aquaculture roughly 35% is lost or thrown away. This waste has both environmental and economic costs. Recently, however, awareness of sustainability and better waste management has sparked interest in turning these discarded materials into useful resources. Fish skin, scales, and mucus, for example, are now being explored as valuable sources of compounds like collagen, antimicrobial peptides, glycoproteins, polysaccharides, and omega-3 fatty acids. These components can help repair tissues, lower inflammation, fight microbes, and act as antioxidants. Advances in processing and extraction methods are making it easier to recover such compounds and feed them back into the economy as part of a circular system. This not only cuts down on waste but also supports broader environmental goals, including those outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water). This review takes a closer look at the economic and environmental value of using marine waste and seafood by-products. It focuses on high-value ingredients such as collagen, gelatin, protein isolates, and bioactive peptides, and discusses how these can be used across a range of industries, from food and cosmetics to healthcare and animal feed.
Naime Filiz Karadaş (Mon,) studied this question.