Aquaculture and Biotechnology

Description

Aquatic Biotechnology having both basic and spin off applications, can play pivotal roles in promoting productivity, boosting efficiency, and ensuring sustainability in aquaculture. The key facets of the culture cycle (involving growth, nutrition, health and reproduction) can be optimized through biotechnological applications including enhancement of growth rate and feed conversion efficiency, nutrition and product quality, stress modulation, vaccination, disease resistance, modern disease diagnostics and treatment, genetic selection, transgenesis, etc. Biotechnology provides powerful tools for the sustainable development of aquaculture, fisheries, as well as the food industry. Increased public demand for seafood and decreasing natural marine habitats have encouraged scientists to study ways that biotechnology can increase the production of marine food products, and making aquaculture as a growing field of animal research. Biotechnology allows scientists to identify and combine traits in fish and shellfish to increase productivity and improve quality. Scientists are investigating genes that will increase production of natural fish growth factors as well as the natural defense compounds marine organisms use to fight microbial infections. Thus, for the development of biotechnology it is urgently required to upgrade laboratory facilities and attract young blood for research and training. It should be noted that water resources in the country are not exclusively available for aquaculture as there is excessive pressure on their use from several other sectors. The present and prospective use of biotechnology would lead to development of smart and high performing fish. There also arises some pitfalls in the horizon; the responsibility of addressing those ecological/environmental and ethic issues lies with the scientists.