Sustainable Aquaculture: From Innovation to Real-World Viability

9 de julho de 2026

As aquaculture becomes an increasingly important pillar of global food security, the sector faces a crucial challenge: ensuring that production growth is accompanied by environmental sustainability, economic viability, and technical reliability. In this article, Renata Gonçalves explores how innovative approaches such as Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), and alternative feed ingredients are shaping the future of sustainable aquaculture, while also examining the regulatory, workforce, and knowledge-transfer barriers that must be addressed to translate innovation into real-world impact.

Aquaculture is increasingly positioned as a key contributor to global food security. However, the challenge today is not only to produce more, but to produce in a way that is environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and technically sound.

From my perspective as a researcher, this transition is already underway. Yet, it continues to face important structural barriers. The future of aquaculture will depend not only on technological innovation, but also on how effectively it is supported by regulation, talent, and the ability to translate knowledge into practice.

Efficiency and circularity as key innovation pathways

Two approaches currently stand out for their transformative potential.

The first is Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). These systems offer a significant improvement in efficiency, allowing for the reuse of more than 90% of water and enabling production in much smaller areas compared to open or semi-open systems. While energy consumption remains a challenge, the integration of renewable energy is expected to address much of this issue, improving overall sustainability.
The second is Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), which represents a clear application of circular economy principles. By cultivating different species together, nutrients and organic matter that would otherwise be wasted are reused within the system. This reduces environmental impact while also enabling producers to diversify their activities.

Both approaches demonstrate that sustainability and productivity can be aligned when systems are designed accordingly.

Alternative feed ingredients: potential and limitations

In recent years, insect meal has been widely discussed as a promising alternative protein source in aquaculture feeds. Significant investments have been made, and scientific research has validated its potential.

However, regulatory constraints have limited its development. Although its use is permitted within the European Union, strict rules regarding the substrates used to feed insects, combined with administrative requirements, have prevented the sector from reaching the scale needed for economic viability. Without this scalability, its market competitiveness remains limited. The recent case of the Danish company ENORM, which ceased operations due to difficulties in ensuring sustainable market demand, reflects these challenges.

At the same time, microalgae are emerging as a promising alternative. Currently, they are mainly used as functional ingredients, incorporated in smaller quantities but delivering benefits in terms of fish health, welfare, and performance. The key challenge moving forward is to achieve sustainable and cost-effective large-scale production, allowing them to meet the demands of global feed production.

Structural barriers beyond technology

While technological innovation is essential, the main barriers to more sustainable aquaculture are not purely technical.

One of the most pressing challenges is the shortage of skilled professionals, particularly in Southern Europe. Aquaculture remains a demanding sector, and current salary levels are often not competitive enough to attract and retain qualified technicians. In contrast, Northern European countries tend to offer more balanced conditions across sectors.

Another major barrier is regulatory uncertainty. As modern aquaculture is still a relatively recent activity, legislation tends to be highly conservative. In many cases, limited scientific knowledge about environmental impacts leads to precautionary approaches that result in delays or restrictions in licensing and expansion. There is a clear need for more scientific studies to support evidence-based policymaking, enabling fair and secure sector growth.

Regarding knowledge transfer, there has been significant progress. Co-funded projects that bring together companies and research institutions from the outset are increasingly common, and there are stronger incentives to disseminate scientific results. This has helped ensure that knowledge does not remain confined within academia. However, further efforts are needed to reduce the gap between research outcomes and their practical application in the industry.

Priorities for the next decade

Looking ahead to the next 5 to 10 years, three priorities stand out.

First, improving the connection between the sector and policymakers will be essential. Regulatory frameworks need to evolve towards more agile and balanced models that enable innovation while ensuring safety and sustainability.

Second, diversification of species will be critical. Moving beyond traditional species and exploring those better suited to new production systems and market demands will strengthen the resilience of European aquaculture.

Third, continued support for co-creation projects is fundamental. Collaboration between producers and researchers must be strengthened to ensure that innovation addresses real-world challenges and that knowledge is effectively translated into value for the industry.

Bridging the gap between innovation and application

Aquaculture has the potential to play a central role in future food systems. However, achieving this potential will depend on more than technological progress alone.

The key challenge lies in making innovation viable in practice — ensuring that solutions developed in research environments can be effectively implemented, scaled, and integrated into everyday operations across the sector.