As a Fisheries Engineering graduate, Alberto Nunes, professor at Labomar in Brazil, quickly realized that the future of seafood production would lie in farming rather than capture fisheries. After a PhD on shrimp feeding and nutrition and spending some time in the private sector, Agribrands Purina, he transitioned into academia, where he has remained closely tied to the feed industry. “I deliberately blur the lines between academic research and industry practice. My passion is driven by real-world challenges, engaging with farmers and feed mills to understand their hurdles and try to deliver science-based solutions through R&D,” Nunes said.
Labomar is a fully equipped research facility with over 400 rearing tanks, enabling year-round trials thanks to its location in a tropical dry zone. “Our broader research efforts fall into shrimp nutrient requirements, alternative ingredients, feed attractants, and functional feed additives for marine shrimp. To date, our lab has delivered over 120 R&D projects in partnership with the industry, with a consistent focus on practical solutions,” Nunes explained.
Industry challenges and opportunities
One of the major challenges of the aquafeed industry is the growing protein gap, the difficulty in sourcing sustainable, high-quality protein ingredients at scale and price to meet increasing global demand. “Aquaculture competes with other animal feed sectors for raw materials, and while new protein sources are being developed, the process of scaling up production to make these products cost-effective takes too long. As a result, the industry remains largely dependent on the same limited basket of ingredients,” Nunes said.
At the same time, Nunes pointed out a significant lack of fundamental nutritional data, particularly regarding the nutrient requirements of key aquaculture species and the digestibility of commercially available raw materials. “Aquaculture production systems are inherently dynamic, with constant changes in stocking densities, water quality, management, and disease pressures. These challenges are further intensified by climate variability and the introduction of new genetic lines, all of which add complexity to defining precise nutritional strategies. This knowledge gap limits the precision of feed formulation and affects both performance and cost-efficiency. Bridging these gaps is essential to improve feed conversion, reduce environmental impact, and support the long-term sustainability of the sector,” he said.
However, there are technological advancements that have the potential to significantly reshape the industry. A new generation of ingredient sources is emerging, with single-cell proteins (SCPs) derived from yeasts, microalgae, bacteria, and fungi standing out.
“While some are already commercially available, many are still scaling up production or undergoing broader validation for different species and farming systems. In parallel, hydrolyzed and fermented ingredients are gaining traction as they improve nutrient availability, reduce anti-nutritional factors, and allow for more sustainable use of animal renderings and agro-industrial byproducts. These ingredients offer scalable and cost-effective inclusions for more expensive protein sources, such as fishmeal,” said Nunes.
Another promising area is the use of functional feed additives to enhance digestibility, gut health, and disease resistance, and the integration of digital technologies and automation, particularly real-time monitoring of feeding behavior. “Together, these innovations are paving the way for more resilient, sustainable, and cost-effective aquafeeds,” said Nunes.
Brazil's aquaculture in expansion
Fish remains the only animal protein for which Brazil is not self-sufficient. Brazil has vast and diverse freshwater resources, over 7,000 km of coastline, a favorable tropical climate, and a well-established agricultural sector. These conditions have enabled rapid growth in aquaculture across all regions of the country, concentrated in three main groups: Nile tilapia, native freshwater fish (mostly tambaqui and its hybrids), and marine shrimp. Combined, these species account for over 1 million MT annually, with most of the production consumed domestically in fresh form.
However, the sector is hindered by several key challenges. One major issue is the fluctuation in fish and shrimp prices throughout the year, mainly driven by seasonal consumer demand and insufficient cold-chain infrastructure. Moreover, domestic fish consumption in the country remains low, at around 10-12 kg per capita per year, barely reaching the WHO’s recommended intake, Nunes reported.
Another important area of underdevelopment is marine finfish aquaculture. Although Brazil has a vast coastline, marine fish farming is nearly nonexistent. “Unlike freshwater aquaculture, which has benefited from decades of research and technology development by the government and universities, marine fish aquaculture lacks local knowledge on broodstock and hatchery management, nutrition, and species selection. Greater investment in this area is urgently needed to unlock Brazil’s full aquaculture potential,” Nunes said.
Brazilian aquaculture producers also face challenges common to the global industry: high feed and input costs, vulnerability to disease outbreaks, environmental risks such as pollution and climate variability, and regulatory complexity related to environmental licensing. “Addressing these issues requires coordinated action between industry, academia, and government to promote innovation, reduce production costs, and support responsible growth,” he stated.
In terms of aquafeeds, in 2024, Brazil produced an estimated 1.8 million MT of aquafeeds, from which approximately 1.57 million MT were for freshwater fish (predominantly tilapia) and 0.23 million MT for marine shrimp. There are multiple small- and large-scale feed mills producing freshwater fish feeds, while shrimp feed production is concentrated among seven companies, most of which are in the Northeast part of the country and owned by local groups.
In 2025, aquafeed production is projected to approach 1.9 million MT, representing a modest growth compared to previous years. “This slower pace is partly due to trade challenges: a portion of Brazil’s tilapia production is exported to the U.S., where new tariffs have been imposed on the product. At the same time, tilapia produced in Vietnam has recently gained access to the Brazilian market, increasing supply and potentially exerting downward pressure on domestic prices,” Nunes explained.
In terms of scale, there are a few small, local feed mills, producing around 1,000 to 2,000 MT per month, fully dedicated to aquafeeds, and large-scale feed mills producing a wider portfolio, including other livestock species. Geography plays a decisive role in industry economics. Brazil’s continental size means that freight costs and state taxes can significantly impact final feed prices when transporting product from the manufacturing site to the consumption region.
“This has driven a shift in investment strategy: new aquafeed facilities are increasingly located near major aquaculture production zones, rather than solely in areas where raw materials are abundant. This approach reduces logistics costs, shortens delivery times, and can help maintain product quality. As aquaculture rapidly expands in states traditionally dominated by agriculture and cattle, poultry, and hog production, I expect an increased establishment of aquafeed mills in these areas in the coming years, whether independently owned or cooperative-based,” Nunes predicted.
Brazil is also home to several strong academic institutions with dedicated aquaculture programs. “The greatest obstacles to researching aquafeeds in Brazil include limited funding, bureaucratic hurdles, and, at times, a mismatch between academic priorities, such as maximizing publications, and the immediate needs of the private sector. Strengthening institutional frameworks for partnership, such as co-funded research programs, joint appointments, or shared infrastructure, could significantly boost the development of cost-effective feed solutions,” he said.
The future
Nunes remains very optimistic about the future. “When I look back at what feed formulations were like 15-20 years ago, the progress has been remarkable, spanning feed manufacturing, formulation, composition, and feeding management. Over this period, the industry has successfully challenged and overcome many misconceptions that once limited innovation, such as the absolute dependence on fishmeal, strict limits on plant protein inclusion levels, and doubts about the effectiveness of supplementing synthetic amino acids to meet key nutrient deficiencies in shrimp feeds.”
Looking ahead, he believes that as the market becomes more demanding in areas such as sustainability, traceability, and nutritional quality of products, and as new technologies like recirculation systems, acoustic feeding tools, and real-time monitoring systems mature, there will be increasing demand for feeds that deliver value well beyond traditional performance metrics.
“In 10 years, I can envision feed labels evolving to report critical nutrient profiles, such as digestible amino acids instead of crude protein, and fatty acid composition instead of total lipids. I also hope that by then, the industry will move from focusing on gross nutrient levels to openly discussing digestible nutrients with farmers, a piece of information that feed mills often guard closely today,” Nunes said.
Nunes highlighted an example of how technologies can make a change. About a decade ago, working with a large shrimp farm in Brazil to implement NIRs technology for on-site quality control of feeds, they were only unloaded from the trucks if crude protein, fat, ash, fiber, and moisture levels fell within ±5% of the values stated on the label. Nunes’ team calibrated their NIR system for amino acid analysis using over 200 samples of commercial feeds collected from the market. “This allowed the farm to select feed suppliers based on precise nutrient data rather than waiting until the end of a production cycle to judge feed performance. That experience showed me how access to real-time, reliable nutrient data can transform decision-making, and I believe this type of approach will become standard practice in the next decade,” Nunes concluded.
