It's fun to brainstorm the next species. There's a really...

It's fun to brainstorm the next species. There's a really interesting article I was reading about aquaculture's efficiency, and thinking about which species are ripe for improvements. This is peer-reviewed journal article with multiple PhDs / academics writing it, not an industry report. So take it with a grain of salt from the commercial aspects, but it seemed to resonate with me.
https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(21)00467-X?utm_campaign=One%20Earth&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=164561573&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8haT66-YDH-Sxr0Aama3wfDLRLMD1thMvwLB2Ab119jVC-UFO9OtVsq2bKA6XVvNWoZB0_6zFOMbu3KNT-jBCKY1MD2fIreCK9NA95Pu_zMCBvTq8&utm_content=164561573&utm_source=hs_email

Essentially the article states that aquaculture is an integral part of the food security system - and indeed, will only get more important. However, apart from salmon, most species are not operating 'efficiently'. They haven't had the research in developing practices to improve their feed conversion rates (e.g. genetics, feed, etc).




They then mapped out which species are best positioned for meeting the upcoming food supply needs. Specifically, they looked at which species are most accessible based on price, and which species are already being produced in large volumes. The sweet spot is to find omnivorous species that are cheap and in large production volumes that can be improved the most. Prawns fit into that, but so does carp and tilapia. Note that tilapia grow so well in Australia, they're an invasive species in our northern warm waters, as is carp in our river systems.



The author's then go into a really deep dive into different ways of improving feed conversion rates. There's a lot of different intervention areas, and won't bore you with all the details. I'd just note it was interesting that they focused on omnivorous species - essentially means you can be much more efficient in developing the feed for them, including things like: yep you guessed it, seaweed! And yes, Barramundi as a fin fish is omnivorous, requiring low levels of fishmeal and fish oil in their diet.