Key strategies to achieving environmental sustainability (energy use, waste management and animal welfare) and reducing industry’s impact on marine ecosystems with ingredient sourcing.
By Roeland Wouters
The global aquaculture industry has seen tremendous growth in recent decades, necessitating a shift towards sustainability. Adopting an environmental, social and governance (ESG) mindset in daily culture practices mitigates environmental impact while securing food production.
Shrimp Hatchery in Indonesia. Picture credit, INVE.
Marine fish and shrimp hatcheries
Marine fish and shrimp hatcheries play a pivotal role in the food production chain and have a direct impact on resource utilisation, biodiversity, and community health.
A survey among marine fish and shrimp hatcheries, nurseries and grow-out farms indicated that all had a positive attitude toward sustainability (Wouters et al., 2024). All respondents supported sustainability efforts and believed that these benefit their own business, showing that marine fish and shrimp producers understand that sustainable practices can ensure long-term viability and environmental responsibility.
Environmental sustainability
Key strategies to improve environmental sustainability in hatcheries include:
Energy
To secure the future of aquaculture, it is urgent to meet global climate goals and move onto a zero-carbon pathway to mitigate climate risks (storm and flooding, water acidity, temperature change, emergence of new pathogens etc.). Incorporating renewable energy sources such as solar panels and energy-efficient technologies like LED lighting can reduce energy consumption significantly, as well as replacement of old electrical equipment with new ones that are more economical in terms of energy consumption.
Optimising logistics and transportation within the supply chain can significantly reduce the carbon footprint. This includes using more energy-efficient transportation methods and promoting local consumption.
Renewable energy at a fish farm in Egypt (Source: Baioumi et al. 2024).
Conservation of water resources
Culture technologies such as recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), rainwater collection, biofloc technology and continuous water quality management can help to conserve water resources and reduce wastewater discharge.
Waste management
Waste minimisation can be achieved through the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle. Effective waste management practices include composting organic waste and recycling of packaging materials. Recycling stands as a cornerstone of environmental stewardship, helping to conserve finite natural resources, protect ecosystems, and reduce carbon emissions. Properly disposing of hazardous materials is essential for reducing environmental damage.
Waste minimisation can be achieved through the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle. Source: How to Recycle INVE Aquaculture Packaging Materials (INVE 2024).
Animal welfare
Animal welfare in aquaculture is crucial because it ensures the health and well-being of farmed species, leading to better growth, disease resistance, overall productivity, and sustainable business. Creating animal welfare awareness through training is pivotal (wvepah.org). Phasing out unilateral eyestalk ablation in shrimp hatcheries (Shinn et al., 2023) and introducing appropriate harvesting and slaughter techniques are some examples which benefit animal welfare.
Penaeus vannamei non-ablated female showing spontaneous ovarian maturation
General best management practices (BMP)
Combined with the use of quality feeds and health products, BMP drive sustainability through reduced disease and stress, increased survival and optimal resource use. They improve feed conversion ratios, resulting in faster growth rates and higher biomass output, thus enhancing overall productivity and profitability for farmers. Ultimately, they ensure long-term
Social sustainability
Social sustainability ensures equitable benefits across the workforce and local communities. Key practices are:
- Employee training by providing sustainability-focused training and encouraging employee participation in eco-friendly practices. It enhances operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.
- Community engagement by building strong relationships with local communities through initiatives such as educational programs. Community projects can enhance the social license to operate and support long-term sustainability.
- Fair labour practices ensure safe working conditions, fair wages, and professional development opportunities for workers.
Corporate Social Responsibility in Thailand. Top: Support to a school next to the feed production facility. Bottom: Training staff on health and safety at the workplace.
Governance sustainability
Strong governance practices are essential for achieving long-term sustainability in aquaculture operations. Regulatory compliance means adhering to local and international sustainability standards and certifications to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability which can enhance marketability. Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), a certification program for responsibly farmed seafood, and the Best Aquaculture Practices certification program (BAP) are some of the most renowned organisations that help hatcheries and farmers reach sustainability goals and regulations.
The important regional organisations promoting sustainable practices are Asian Aquaculture Network (AAN) and Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP). The latter has a scale-up program for shrimp hatcheries in Ecuador, helping them achieve the ASC standard requirements (SSP 2024). The earlier mentioned survey showed that 73% of the hatcheries had a sustainability policy in place, 58% had third-party sustainability certification, and 31% was a member of an organisation that promotes sustainable practices.
It also requires publicly disclosing sustainability metrics and progress reports to foster accountability, building trust and engaging with stakeholders, including local communities, NGOs, and investors, to drive collective sustainability efforts.
Cost benefits
Besides being compliant with regulations and building good relationships with local communities, hatcheries that follow ESG principles also have some cost benefits, such as reduction in operational costs by efficient resource management. Social sustainability efforts help hatcheries hire a loyal and committed workforce, with employees that are more motivated and satisfied.
Further down the value chain – as a consequence of customer awareness – grow-out farmers receive better prices for sustainable seafood. Further up the value chain, companies that serve farms receive a premium price for sustainable feeds and solutions.
By adopting ESG principles, hatcheries can achieve long-term sustainability, improve profitability, and contribute to a greener future for the aquaculture industry.
Towards sustainable feeds with alternative ingredients
Consumer awareness is increasing regarding the origins and sustainability of raw materials used in aquaculture, and their role in the decline of natural fish populations and biodiversity loss in our oceans and seas. Using sustainably sourced ingredients is crucial for reducing the industry’s impact on marine ecosystems, improving efficiency, and providing economic benefits. Improved culture techniques and partial replacement of fishmeal with plant-based ingredients have resulted in gradually reducing volumes of fishmeal production from capture fisheries biomass since the mid-nineties (FAO 2025). Combined with state-of-the-art feed manufacturing and formulation, feeds with novel sustainable ingredients improve larval survival and growth rates. These innovations improve larviculture efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint in hatcheries.
Aquaculture and fed-aquaculture production of aquatic animals compared to capture fisheries production for reduction into fishmeal (From FAO Innovation for Bleu Transformation: Responsible use of fishmeal in aquaculture, 2025)
In aquafeeds and marine ingredients, there are certain standards for sustainability certification that focus on conservation and improved utilisation of aquatic resources. Examples are ASC, and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). INVE, which is certified by Global G.A.P. since 2013, exceeds the standard targets for responsible sourcing. Approximately 90% of marine ingredients and 100% of soy ingredients in INVE’s feeds for hatcheries and nurseries as well as Artemia GSL cysts come with third-party certification for sustainability. This reduces the risk of environmental degradation and social injustices.
A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis reported by Glencross et al. (2024) identifies plant proteins, insect meals, and single-cell proteins as key alternatives offering high nutritional value with a lower environmental footprint. Desired characteristics of sustainable ingredients are consistent quality, traceability, compliance with legislation, robust and scalable supply, price, marine ingredient replacement capacity, and additional benefits in feed processing and in functional feeds (Wouters et al, 2024).
Single-cell proteins like bacteria and yeast-based proteins, are gaining traction due to their minimal land and water use, and low greenhouse gas emissions. Manufacturers of bacterial meals, with protein levels up to 70%, are rapidly scaling up, near to industries that produce natural gas sources and other waste streams. In general, they have a high digestibility, though sometimes hydrolysis is required to disrupt the cell walls. Studies show methanotroph bacteria meal can partially replace fishmeal in fish and shrimp diets without adverse effects, supporting growth, feed utilisation, and survival, while promoting gut and immune health. Algal meals are relatively low in protein and expensive, but they can reduce the dependence of fish oil while supporting fish health.
Microalgae are used in animal feed to enhance nutritional value, reducing reliance on fishmeal and improving livestock health (From Helen Onyeaka 2025)
Insect meals offer moderate to high protein content and also contribute positively to circular economy practices by upcycling organic waste into valuable feed components (Chen, 2024). Insect meal has shown promising results in fish and shrimp trials. In some cases, insect meal even improved growth performance and immune responses in shrimp. Current limitations relate to upscaling to lower the cost and legislation concerning the use of mixed and low-value waste streams.
Examples of sustainable ingredients that are not of marine animal origin. Clockwise, from top left. Dried yeast, algal meal, bacterial protein and pea protein.
Plant ingredients like soybean protein concentrate, pea protein, and barley protein concentrate are effective at moderate to low fishmeal replacement levels. They are less digestible and have a lower nutritional value for carnivorous species. Some grains have antinutritional factors (ANF) that may cause nutrient imbalance (Glencross et al, 2024), which is something that can be alleviated through fermentation.
By-products from animal husbandry can help reduce waste and provide valuable protein sources for aquafeeds. Examples include poultry by-product meal, meat and bone meal, feather meal and ingredients derived from fish viscera. These by-products are processed to ensure they meet the nutritional requirements of aquaculture species. Hurdles encountered with processed animal products are biosecurity and market acceptance.
Many of the findings reported on sustainable ingredients result from trials with grow-out feeds, often tested in Atlantic salmon culture and to a lesser extent in the culture of other marine fish and shrimp. Studies with alternative ingredients on early live stages are scarce. Making larval feeds more sustainable without quality loss is also proving much harder. Replacing marine protein and oil sources in larval feeds of marine species is much more challenging than in juveniles and/or freshwater species because of the very specific, high nutrient requirements of larval stages and the changes in behaviour of early stages during ontogenetic development.
Conclusion
In the past decade, sustainable practices focusing on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects have been integrated into marine fish and shrimp grow-out farming. This shift is now extending to hatcheries and their suppliers, ensuring the entire value chain contributes to a greener future. Certification standards promote responsible fisheries, but reliance on fishmeal and fish oil still leads to overfishing and biodiversity loss. Alternatives like single-cell proteins, insect meals, plant proteins, and by-products are being explored, though they present challenges in nutrient balancing, digestibility, scaling, and legislation. Continuous research, innovation, and collaboration are essential to overcoming these obstacles.
Adopting ESG practices enhances profitability, mitigates risks, and improves the industry’s reputation and marketability, aligning with consumer preferences for sustainable products.
Published: May/June 2025 AQUA Culture Asia Pacific