Principles of Fish Nutrition

Aquacultural production is a major industry in many countries, and it will continue to grow as the demand for "sheries products increases and the supply from natural sources decreases. As in more traditional forms of animal production, nutrition plays a critical role in intensive aquaculture because it in#uences not only production costs but also "sh growth, health and waste production (Gatlin, 2002). To develop nutritious, cost-e$ective diets we must know a specie’s nutritional requirements and meet those requirements with balanced diet formulations and appropriate feeding practices. Research over the last two decades has expanded our knowledge of the nutritional requirements of cultured "shes. %is publication provides an overview of the general principles of "sh nutrition as they relate to aquaculture.