Reduction in the environmental impact of waste discharged by fish farms through feed and feeding

The discharge of waste from aquaculture operations can lead to eutrophication and destruction of natural ecosystem in receiving water body. A controlled waste production strategy is necessary to maintain sustainable aquaculture growth into the future. As feed is the major source of waste in aquaculture, the management of aquaculture waste should be approached through diet formulation or feeding strategies. Highly digestible diets have been introduced as a solution to reduce solid waste excretion. Further reductions in solid waste can be achieved through careful selection of feed ingredients and feed processing to improve nutrient availability. An increase in faeces consistency by diet manipulation can improve solid removal efficiency. This condition can reduce the proportion of solids in discharged water in the effluent and also improve farm water quality. A reduction in dissolved nitrogen waste can be achieved by ensuring a balance between protein and energy causing fish to use non‐protein sources as energy. Phosphorous waste can be decreased through careful ingredient selection and proper processing to improve digestibility. A proper feed ration and feeding method for each species should be adopted because feed waste constitutes a large part of waste production.