Aquafeed for caged marine fish in some Asian countries

Aquaculture plays an important role in the production of aquatic animals, particularly with the increasing demand for high-valued aquatic animals. In the Asia Pacific, apart from marine shrimp, marine fish are also consumed in the local and export markets. These countries produce about 550,000 mt of marine fish, of which 85 % comes from 1,117,533 units of cages. More than 50 marine fish species are cultured. Grouper is the only species having the most stable price and demand among the other cultured species.iIPractice of marine cage culture in this region is relatively traditional. (, The cage is made of wood and settled in shallow, coastal area with trash fish being used as feed with FeR values of 8-15, depending upon the quality of trash fish. The trash fish itself becomes causes of deteriorated water quality and disease incidences. The problems are aggravated by the improper management of cage arrangement and water use regulation. Although about 260,400 mUyear of manufactured feed is used for caged marine fish, it is still considered as a small portion, once compared with the quantity of fish production.,IFrom the nutrition points of view, good quality feed may be economically produced. The cost of fish production may be roughly reduced by 20% and profit may also be doubled by switching from trash fish to pellet feed. Nevertheless, aquafeed manufacturer has still faced difficulties in promoting marine fish feed and changing farmers' belief.If this situation is prolonged, the major concern of marine fish cage in the region is its own sustainability. The priority is to convert trash fish to pellet feed. New rules shoUld be set to control the sites for cage settlement. Fish farmers themselves need to be informed about good farming practices. Researches on fish nutrition, genetic improvement, fish disease and control, cage development etc. must be supported and encouraged. The good quality and disease-free seed areI.ı comparatively required. Conclusively, the sustainability of marine fish cage should be put in the policies of overall aquaculture development in the region.