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Mariculture, a sustainable and rapidly growing aquaculture sub-sector, meets global seafood demand while reducing strain on wild fish stocks and continues to expand worldwide. However, rising feed and seed costs pose significant challenges, overshadowing other farming expenses. Climate change exacerbates the profitability of sea cage farming, increasing volatility. The surge in fishmeal costs has a detrimental impact on operational expenditure (Opex) and continues to be a threat. Consequently, sea cage farming in India is at a critical juncture, needing a balance between technological advancements and stakeholders' fiscal needs. In this context, this study examines peer-reviewed synthesized data by employing metrics to evaluate the implications of feed and seed costs in Asian Seabass (Lates calcarifer) sea cage farming over a 10-year horizon. The total sales revenue over the 10-year period was US $100,848, with a net profit of US $55,198.89. A 30% increase in feed and seed prices significantly altered the economic dynamics of the enterprise, leading to an 8.8 and 9.2% rise in the respective break-even points. There was also a significant effect on the Benefit–Cost Ratio (BCR), with a 30% increase in each factor resulting in a 10 and 18% change in the projected BCR, respectively. Therefore, the significance of feed and seed cost has been established, necessitating an inevitable shift from low-value fish to formulated feed adaption for sustainable mariculture development. The study suggests improvements to existing practices to maximize efficiency and minimize production costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copepods of genus Acartia are considered as efficient live feeds for marine fish larviculture. A few reports are already there on production and storage for eggs of few temperate species of Acartia. Present study evaluated the storage potential of eggs of a tropical calanoid copepod, A. tropica. Different conditions examined were higher salinity storage (40–200 ppt) at room temperature, cold storage (4ºC) at different salinities (15–200 ppt), cryoprotectant solutions (methanol, glycerol) and antibiotic solutions (kanamycin, oxytetracycline). Results showed that higher salinity storage (50–200 ppt) could not retain egg viability under cold storage, as well as normal temperature conditions. The eggs exposed to cold storage and lower salinities (15–40 ppt) for 24 h survived with highest egg‐hatching success (EHS, %) recorded at 15 ppt (69.44 ± 8.12). The condition was not efficient to retain egg viability beyond 24 h. The addition of certain cryoprotectants and antibiotics to the storage media significantly improved the survival of A. tropica eggs after 48 h storage. In the cryoprotectant treatments highest EHS after 48 h storage was recorded at 1M Glycerol (41.27 ± 6.34). Amongst the antibiotic treatments highest EHS after 48 and 72 h of storage were recorded at 100 ppm Kanamycin (46.79 ± 10.33, 2.67 ± 0.35) and 50ppm Kanamycin (43.86 ± 12.81, 1.73 ± 0.27), respectively. A drastic reduction in egg viability was recorded after 48 h and the antibiotics and cryoprotectants examined were not efficient to retain egg viability beyond 72 h. Hence the conditions examined in the present study could retain the viability of A. tropica eggs maximum up to 72 h and were not sufficient to induce long term quiescence in A. tropica eggs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: compensatory growth; Snubnose pompano; stunting; Trachinotus blochii EN compensatory growth Snubnose pompano stunting Trachinotus blochii 403 409 7 12/23/20 20210101 NES 210101 Compensatory growth has been reported in stunted fish by several researchers, and the same has been applied at field level for enhancing the fish production. During stunting phase, the size variation was more prominent in stunted fish than normal fish, whereas it registered a reverse trend during post-stunting phase wherein the size variation was lesser in stunted fish than normal fish. The 90 days stunting study reveals that the growth retarded fish could fully regain the growth when adequately fed, since the final weight and SGR/day % at the end of the poststunting rearing were higher in stunted fish than the normal fish. The FCR at the end of the experiment was slightly higher in the case of 30 days stunted fish, whereas in 60 days stunted fish, it was slightly lower and in 90 days stunted fish it was only half of normal fish (Tables 2-4). [Extracted from the article]

Lobsters are one of the premium ocean resources and a highly sought-after seafood commodity globally. The increasing demand for spiny lobsters in both domestic and international markets has led to a growing interest in mariculture as a means of meeting demand. Capture-based mariculture (CBM) by the coastal communities is the only way to cater the existing demand. However, there is scant published information and continued ambiguity on the viability of spiny lobster aquaculture in the Indian subcontinent and a similar gap exists in countries engaged in lobster fattening. Thus, to bridge the gap between the viability information and CBM stakeholders, we examined the profitability and economic performance of mud spiny lobster, Panulirus polyphagus , production in open sea farming systems, specifically sea cages. Our analysis focused on economic indicators such as input costs and return value. We found that the estimated annual revenue for a single operation was USD $3605.04, with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 33% and a net present value (NPV) of USD $1226.17, demonstrating profitability. Despite this, certain bottlenecks such as limited seedstock and feed availability and cost concerns, disease management issues, regulatory complexities, market demand fluctuations limit the expansion of the industry beyond a certain threshold. This study provides useful information for enterprise building and developing better strategies for building food security and supporting traditional communities-oriented commercial lobster farming in India, and potentially in other lobster farming nations as well. • Growing demand for spiny lobsters drives interest in mariculture as a solution. • The revisited economic indicators showed annual revenue of USD $ 3605.04 with net profit USD $ 1226.17. • Wild seed limitations for larger-scale mariculture impede business growth. • Lobster marine cage farming shows potential for profitability and sustainable livelihood. • Study bridges technological gap between the economic sustainability of lobster farming and stakeholder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blue economy, encompassing sustainable utilization of coastal and oceanic resources, has gained global significance in the context of the developing discourse on economic growth and environmental conservation in ocean-based economies. This article delves into the multifaceted realm of India's fisheries and coastal aquaculture sectors, exploring their status, challenges and prospects through the lens of the 'blue growth' narrative. Various enabling factors, such as technological advancements, governance improvements, market and policy incentives, and investment strategies are discussed that can catalyse a smooth transition of India's marine capture fisheries and aquaculture to align with the blue developmental agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]