ABSTRACT
The rapid increase in aquaculture production and the elevation of tilapia, striped catfish, and marine shrimp from local to global commodities has occurred mainly due to the widespread availability and utilization of commercial dry fish diets. Total world fish production was 158 million tonnes in 2012, 66.6 million tonnes of which were food fish produced in aquaculture (FAO 2014a,b). This total includes finfish, crustaceans, mollusks, and other edible animals. The rapidly increasing use of commercial diets has led to dramatic increases in food fish production for aquaculture over the past decade. Farmed fish contributed 13.4%, 25.7%, and 42.2% of the total world fish production in 1990, 2000, and 2012, respectively (FAO 2014a,b). Of the total aquaculture production in 2012, approximately 46 million tonnes resulted from the use of artificial diets. Non-fed species included filter-feeding carp (7.1 million tonnes) and bivalves (13.4 million tonnes). The share of production dependent on artificial diets increased from 66.5% in 2010 to 69.2% in 2012, reflecting an increasing trend in the use of commercial fish diets (FAO 2014a,b). Aquaculture products that have evolved from domestic to global commodities in recent years include Atlantic salmon, tilapia, striped catfish (swai), and marine shrimp. With the exception of Atlantic salmon, all of these are cultured primarily in static water earthen ponds.
