Nutrition in organic aquaculture: an inquiry and a discourse

Abstract

Organic aquaculture has lagged behind the agriculture sector in terms of the quantities and diversity of certified organic products because of the absence of detailed accepted standards and criteria until recently. The main challenges for organic aquaculture are to improve the coordination between production and market and to achieve an appropriate framework to drive further development. Priorities for research include organic feeds and fish nutrition, consumers' needs, food safety, environmental concerns and trade issues. In organically cultured fish, differences in feeds and nutrition compared to conventional systems are likely to result in differences in the quality of the flesh, and this is a significant factor in consumer choice. The review covers aspects of current use of eco-certification, formulated feeds, feed composition, aquafeed technology, sustainable alternatives to common feed ingredients, nutritional physiology and general nutritional principles and product quality in the context of the organic aquaculture. There is a future for the development of organic aquaculture but its success depends on new knowledge and technical development to meet consumers' growing interest. The industry has to utilize the research results and update and modify the criteria and standards and thus provide high-quality products.