Feed Matters: Satisfying the Feed Demand of Aquaculture

The rise of aquaculture has attracted a great deal of attention and this has increased since the sector is now providing more fish and crustaceans than capture fisheries. This global prominence has been partly facilitated by the availability and on-farm provision of feed inputs within the major aquaculture producing countries. More than 70% of the total global aquaculture production is dependent upon the supply of external feed inputs. For the aquaculture sector to maintain its current growth rate, the supply of nutrient and feed inputs will have to grow at a similar rate, while aquatic ingredients production remains static and other sectors compete for same feed resources. This paper attempts to make a global analysis of aquaculture growth, its role in global food production, and to update the estimates of compound feed dependent fish and crustacean species.