Sustainable development of the fisheries industry is extremely important for the food and nutrition of Japan and other Asian countries has steadily gained in importance year by year in the sustainable development of the fisheries industry.

A review paper in the March 2021 issue of Nature estimates that the aquaculture of around 425 species supplied more than 80 million tons of fish and shellfish and 32 million tons of seaweeds in 2017. Based on a survey of literature over the last 20 years, the paper presented three patterns that characterized the development of aquaculture, namely, (1) continued growth in the volume and value chains of freshwater aquaculture; (2) advances in fish nutrition, genetics and alternative types of feed; and (3) expanded culture of extractive bivalves and seaweeds providing a wide range of food, industrial and ecosystem services. These trends suggest that aquaculture has become more integrated into the global food system, allowing consumers from low to high-income countries year-round access to seafoods rich in protein and micronutrients. However, despite these developments, the authors asserted that the aquaculture sector is still facing many challenges to meet business and social expectations, and achieve sustainable outcomes.

In recent years, land-based aquaculture systems have been developed due to increased knowledge of feed and breeding, especially for salmon and shrimp. Shrimp is a product that is also traded internationally, but the establishment of a sustainable and stable aquaculture system requires further elucidation of the reproductive mechanisms of shrimp and the development of breeding techniques.

In order to contribute to the stabilization of the shrimp aquaculture industry, Dr. Marcy N. Wilder (Fisheries Research Division) has conducted physiological and biochemical research on shrimp and applied research on the development of aquaculture technology for more than 30 years, and has led a team of JIRCAS researchers to achieve the practical application of knowledge gained from basic studies to the improvement of the aquaculture industry.

On March 28, 2021, Dr. Wilder received the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science Award for 2021 in recognition of her outstanding achievements relating to biochemical/physiological research on mechanisms of reproduction, molting, and osmoregulation in commercially-important shrimp species and the development of new aquaculture technology. This award is given to researchers who have made outstanding achievements in academic research and have contributed to the development of Fisheries Science.

Reference

Naylor, R.L., Hardy, R.W., Buschmann, A.H. et al. A 20-year retrospective review of global aquaculture. Nature 591, 551–563 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03308-6

Contributor: WILDER Marcy (Fisheries Division)