Aquaculture-Based Wastes, Byproducts, and Their Utilization

Globally, seafood production has increased steadily over the past few decades. Rising population and health consciousness have increased demand for seafood. To meet demand, intensification of fish and aquaculture farming has been observed in recent years. Consequently, this has led to a significant incline in fish processing waste. Furthermore, disposal of fish processing waste has led to environmental impact, including water pollution, pathogen growth, and foul odors. One viable solution is to focus on valorization and the waste-to-value chain for utilizing fish waste. Processing of fish biomass into biomethane, biodiesel, and biofertilizers has become possible through advanced processing methods. Additionally, physical, biochemical, and thermochemical processes enable recovery of value-added compounds such as fish protein hydrolysates, pigments, chitosan, and collagen. Similarly, increase in nutrient loads in aquaculture effluent and related environmental impacts have led to a shift to effective wastewater treatment techniques. Microalgae represent a promising option for phytoremediation of aquaculture effluents owing to high nutrient removal efficiency. However, the ability to utilize or convert resulting 284 microalgal biomass into aquaculture feed plays a crucial role in enhancing sustainability. This book chapter focuses on sources, elements, management strategies, and processing approaches of aquaculture-based wastes.