The pursuit of more efficient and sustainable food production in the aquaculture sector is constant. In a recent interview, Artur Rombenso, senior research scientist at CSIRO, shared his profound insights into the challenges, innovations, and the future of aquaculture nutrition, highlighting the evolution towards precision nutrition and the integration of sustainability.
Reflecting on his career path, Rombenso explained that his interest in aquafeed nutrition stemmed from the opportunity to work on nutrition-related projects overseas during his education. “As I deepened my understanding of nutrition’s true value and its fascinating complexities, I realized how much there is still to explore. This quickly became a passion,” he stated. He emphasized the complexity of nutrition and its interactions with breeding, welfare, and production systems as crucial and particularly compelling elements in aquaculture.
Challenges on the aquaculture horizon
The aquafeed sector faces a series of multifaceted challenges. According to Rombenso, one of the biggest is “managing the diverse expectations and interests across the aquafeed supply chain—from ingredient sourcing and formulation to final product quality—while also considering social license, cultural preferences, and other factors.”
A key pressure point is feed affordability for farmers, particularly given that feed can account for over 80% of production costs. He suggests that standardizing sustainability metrics and fostering greater public-private collaboration are essential steps, though he acknowledges that the abundance of opportunities can sometimes lead to a lack of strategic focus. Furthermore, there's a need to better integrate nutrition with other scientific disciplines, such as production systems, welfare, and genetics, and translate these insights into farm-level applications.
Alternative protein and lipid sources: Diversity is key
When it comes to alternative protein and lipid sources, Rombenso emphasizes that there isn't a single “magic bullet” solution. “The formulation matrix used in the industry is complex, involving dozens of ingredients, additives, and micronutrients. The key lies in the complementarity of multiple ingredients to meet nutrient demands and manufacturing needs. Incorporating locally available ingredients and agricultural byproducts can enhance circularity, reduce costs, and lessen reliance on imported raw materials.”
Regarding lipids, he believes the sector is “in a relatively comfortable position with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA)-rich supplemental oils (e.g., algal DHA and EPA oils and canola-DHA). Additionally, I would like to see greater incorporation of saturated-rich oils in formulations, such as beef tallow and fully hydrogenated vegetable-based sources.”
For proteins, the situation is more complex, but fermentation is seen as a promising area for creating value-added ingredients.
Innovations driving efficiency
Innovation in aquafeeds is transforming the industry. Rombenso points to the optimization of feeding through acoustic commercial feeders as a significant advancement in the shrimp industry, improving performance and reducing waste. “In countries like Australia, where labor costs are high, this technology is proving to be a good fit.”
The role of attractants and feed stimulants is becoming increasingly clear, ensuring animals consume the feed despite cost and sustainability optimizations. “While optimizing formulations to meet nutrient requirements, maintaining price competitiveness, and ensuring sustainability is crucial, it becomes meaningless if the animals are not attracted to the feed. This often-overlooked aspect is, therefore, highly important,” Rombenso said.
LC-PUFA-rich additives have been instrumental, providing flexibility and cost-effectiveness. “Additives like the microbial biomass NovaqPro®, which the team and I have contributed to in various research projects, offer benefits beyond just growth and show promise in shrimp aquafeed formulations,” Rombenso said.
Another major research focus is the development of locally sourced ingredients to reduce feed costs and reliance on global supply chains. “This work is especially relevant in light of geopolitical instability and rising input costs,” Rombenso said.
Furthermore, feed manufacturing technologies, often overlooked, are making significant strides, including predictive characterization using NIRS, extrusion modeling, AI-driven quality control, and waste minimization. “The future of aquafeed extrusion will depend on addressing technological, nutritional, and sustainability challenges through collaboration across commercial R&D, academic institutions, and specialized research providers. This will help bridge the gap between experimental research and commercial application. Investment in experimental extrusion systems is needed and will improve data reliability while establishing ingredient databases and optimizing nutritional formulations for extrusion effects are critical for performance,” he states.
For instance, his team is working to expand the use of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) in aquaculture nutrition. “While traditionally applied to predict the composition of feeds and raw materials, we have developed new applications to assess functional properties such as starch gelatinisation (starch cook) and ingredient digestibility. Other related projects are exploring the potential of this technology to predict the efficacy of ingredients and additives, as well as to support on-farm decision-making in the context of animal nutritional status,” he explained.
Gut microbiota is another emerging scientific field in aquafeed research, expected to follow the human nutrition trajectory. “While much remains unknown, the broad scope of aquaculture makes prioritizing research challenging. More established aquaculture industries will likely lead progress,” Rombenso said. “I strongly advocate for these developments and would like to see greater integration of microbiota research with other analytical approaches, such as blood chemistry and histology. A well-connected network between the private and public sectors would be highly beneficial in advancing this field, rather than relying on a fragmented approach.”
Circular solutions in aquaculture are gaining momentum as the industry seeks more sustainable production methods that reduce environmental impacts and close nutrient loops. “We are contributing to this global movement through innovations in production systems and nutrition. In terms of systems, our work focuses on aquaponics and biofloc technology. On the nutrition side, we are evaluating microbial biomass, value-added local feedstocks, and food waste blends for use in aquafeeds. These efforts reflect a broader strategy to integrate system and nutrition innovations to promote circularity in aquaculture. Our goal is to inform and support responsible growth in Australian aquaculture, while also contributing to global circular economy solutions,” Rombenso said.
Balancing sustainability with cost-effectiveness
Achieving a balance between sustainability and cost-effectiveness in aquafeeds requires the establishment of standardized sustainability and environmental metrics. These standards will influence ingredient selection and transportation logistics—especially in geographically large countries like Australia, where feed must often be trucked over long distances.
Rombenso noted that cost-effectiveness can be improved in several ways. First, through the judicious, evidence-based use of additives—particularly in regions like Asia, where some claims lack scientific backing and there is limited understanding of synergistic or antagonistic effects. “On-farm coating practices, while potentially beneficial, often neglect feed water stability and should be scientifically validated,” he said.
Second, there is a notable gap in tailored feed solutions for small to medium-sized farms raising emerging species or using alternative production systems. These farms often cannot access customized feeds until their operations scale enough to attract commercial feed mill interest.
Finally, he emphasized that feeding management must be specifically adapted to both the feed type and the farming system to ensure cost-efficiency.
Beyond aquafeeds: Broader aquaculture challenges
Aquafeeds are crucial for addressing aquaculture challenges beyond feed, particularly in disease prevention, gut health, and reproductive management. “For instance, a major focus is the oral delivery of bespoke compounds for health and endocrinology. Innovations in encapsulation and oral delivery of RNAi compounds are preventing white spot disease in shrimp and show potential for enhancing broodstock maturation, impacting sustainability and productivity,” he stated. “As these technologies continue to advance, they are expected to have a substantial impact on aquaculture sustainability and productivity.”
Production costs, especially in intensive shrimp farming, remain another significant challenge for farmers. Tailored feed formulations and optimized feeding strategies can help mitigate these costs.
“Optimizing feed processing technologies like extrusion is also critical to align with nutritional requirements, as processing significantly influences nutrient availability and digestibility, impacting fish health and performance. Balancing processing feasibility with nutritional outcomes is essential for advancing efficient and sustainable aquafeeds,” he said.
Obstacles in aquafeed research in Australia
Conducting cutting-edge research in aquafeeds faces significant hurdles, particularly in certain regions like Australia. One primary impediment to conducting aquafeed research is the limited availability of ingredients and additives. "Country regulations can create barriers to importing products, even for research purposes, which can be time-consuming and cause delays in experimentation," Rombenso explained.
Another key challenge is the seasonal availability of larvae and juveniles, and research on non-native species, such as tilapia and Litopenaeus vannamei, which are key global aquaculture species, but not permitted in Australia. While this restriction may limit the reach and impact of research outputs on a global scale, Rombenso optimistically added that “on the bright side, it promotes innovation and creativity to keep research relevant.”
Furthermore, securing sustained industry funding for long-term aquafeed studies presents its own set of difficulties, primarily revolving around the translation of research findings into practical applications. “The primary challenge lies in establishing a suitable infrastructure that effectively translates study findings into industry applications,” Rombenso stated. “This involves careful consideration of fish genetics, production systems, and experimental conditions, including water quality parameters, vessel size, and stocking density.”
Beyond infrastructure and cost, establishing and maintaining long-term business relationships between researchers and industry partners is another significant hurdle. “While there are successful examples globally that have led to impactful outcomes, strategic alignment, business pacing, and agility often present hurdles,” Rombenso observed. This is because “research providers and industry stakeholders often operate on different timelines and priorities, which can complicate collaboration.”
The future
If he could solve one major issue, Rombenso would focus on bridging the gap faced by small to medium-sized companies working with emerging aquaculture species. “The main challenge is developing tailored feeds that meet specific farm needs (species, production systems, genetics). Currently, feed mills customize for established demand, leaving emerging species and smaller farms without specialized feeds. Providing these farms with access to species-specific, high-quality feeds would enable them to scale up production and generate sufficient demand to justify dedicated feed lines, unlocking new markets, diversifying the industry, and contributing to a more sustainable sector,” Rombenso said.
Over the next 5-10 years, technological advancements will continue to shape feed formulation, manufacturing, and delivery (feeding management). Species-specific feeds will improve significantly, narrowing the nutrition knowledge gap with traditional livestock. Rombenso hopes for greater clarity on industry influencing factors and a stronger focus on food production for global food security. He anticipates outlined opportunities being capitalized on, driving further progress. “The diverse nature of aquaculture means that different sectors within the industry will have distinct needs and will be open to adopting a range of technologies, from high-tech to low-tech solutions. This diversity presents a significant opportunity for nutritional advancements,” Rombenso concluded.
Disclaimer: The information provided represents the views of Artur Rombenso as a scientist and reflects perspectives shared by the CSIRO Nutrition and Production System Research Group. It does not necessarily represent the official position of CSIRO as an organization.
