Fish health management in cage aquaculture

Abstract

Finfish is the primary source of animal protein for humans in many parts of the world and per capita consumption of fish has been increasing from an average of 9.9 kg in the 1960s to 19.2 kg in 2012 (FAO, 2014). Growing global population, dwindling natural fish stocks, and the increasing demand are the major drivers for increasing fish production. Aquaculture remains the only option to meet these demands and globally, the share of aquaculture is projected to rise to 62% of the total fish production by 2030. However, considering the limitations of the traditional aquaculture systems due to environmental issues, carrying capacities etc., it has been recognized that cage culture, especially mariculture has many advantages. Over the years, cage culture has become one of the economically viable methods of large-scale production of high-value food fishes