Quintessential Utilization of Non-edible Aquatic Biowaste: In Pursuit of a Paradigm Shift Toward Wealth (from Waste) in Aquaculture”

Aquaculture plays an increasing role in future food security. Thirty-four calories per person per day are provided by fish and fish products globally. However, the rearing, harvesting, and processing of fish produces enormous amounts of trash, which is an issue for the entire world. For every ton of fish consumed, approximately the same quantity of fish waste (FW) is disposed of either through ocean dumping or land disposal. Unutilized waste has an impact on a larger coastal zone at many ecosystem levels, reducing benthos, plankton, and nekton biomass, variety, and density, and altering the structure of natural food webs. Alternatives to pricey feed additives should be investigated in order to meet the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of preventing the depletion of valuable aquatic resources. Wastes from the fisheries sector could be treated with various methods and can be utilized for pigments, chitosan, and collagen, which can be used in fish feed, biomedical, and pharmaceutical industries. Currently, the production of biogas, biodiesel, biofertilizer, and bioplastic from non-recyclable fish waste is widely practiced. The various waste processing activities need additional inputs and outputs in order to recover energy and separate the necessary components from aquatic waste. The primary goal of our study towards sustainable aquaculture is the conversion of these wastes while also recovering important materials before disposal, which would also help in boosting the circular economy.