生物学和医学

抽象的

Aquaculture as a food production system: A review

*Khan MA, Khan S, Miyan K

Due to ever increasing human population coupled with the limited availability of space for land-based food production system (such as agriculture, poultry, cattle/goat/pig farming etc), a large number of people across the globe are affected by short and inconsistent supply or unavailability of quality food. A plausible solution of the problem could be enormous utilization of water resources as more than 70% of the earth surface is covered with water. Amongst a variety of food items present in the aquatic system, fishes are considered as the most important group of the organisms suitable for human consumption. However, capture fisheries is showing the signs of almost stagnation for more than a decade. In such circumstances, aquaculture shows a vast scope of expansion. Aquaculture is referred to as “underwater agriculture”. Aquaculture is economically more efficient and viable than land based animal farming systems in the sense that fishes are efficient converters of food to flesh and there is more production of fish biomass per unit area. In general, plant products are limiting in one or the other essential amino acids and/or essential fatty acids. However, fishes have well balanced amino acid and fatty acid profile and especially polyunsaturated fatty acids which are present in good quantity. Fish flesh is highly digestible and considered as rich in several minerals and some vitamins. In addition, aquaculture practice generates employment and foreign exchange. Therefore, aquaculture as a food production system shows the potential to provide the quality proteins to ever increasing human population and to combat malnutrition.