AUTHOR=Divu Damodaran Nair , Mojjada Suresh Kumar , Sudhakaran Prateesh Omana , Sundaram Swathi Lekshmi Perumal , Menon Muktha , George Grinson , Tade Mayur Shivdas , Mojjada Ramesh Kumar , Radhakrishnan Kalidoss , Vishwambharan Vinuja Syamala , Shree Jai , Subramanian Aarsha , Ignatius Boby , Raghavan Suresh Vettath , Gopalakrishnan Achamveetil 

TITLE=Implications of feed and seed costs in Asian seabass mariculture in the face of climate change

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1352131

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2024.1352131

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=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 10-year horizon being assessed. The total sales revenue over the 10-year period was USD $100,848, with a net profit of USD $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 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, and 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.