Domickson Silva Costa , Jucimauro de araújo Pereira júnior , Maurício Laterça Martins

1 LMM-Marine Mollusc Laboratory, Aquaculture Department, UFSC, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
2 LCM-Marine Shrimp Laboratory, Aquaculture Department, UFSC, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
3 AQUOS-Aquatic Organisms Health Laboratory, Aquaculture Department, UFSC, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol. 15, No. 2   
Received: 19 Jul., 2025    Accepted: 03 Sep., 2025    Published: 18 Sep., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Population growth is intensifying the demand for sustainable protein sources, positioning aquaculture as a strategic sector for global food security. However, the industry faces nutritional, economic, and environmental challenges, particularly due to the high cost and ecological impact of fishmeal (FM) and fish oil (FO), which are widely used in commercial feeds. These inputs are rich in essential fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), whose production relies on intensive harvesting of marine species, thereby compromising the sustainability of the supply chain. In this context, microalgae have emerged as promising alternatives due to their high nutritional and functional value, including proteins, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), antioxidants, and bioactive compounds. This review compiles scientific evidence demonstrating that the inclusion of microalgae in fish and shrimp diets can maintain or enhance lipid composition, immunocompetence, pathogen resistance, antioxidant activity, and gut health in cultured organisms. Species such as Schizochytrium sp., Nannochloropsis sp., Chlorella sp., and Spirulina sp. have shown promising results. Although further studies are needed to determine optimal inclusion levels and potential synergies among species, current data support the potential of microalgae to contribute to a more efficient and sustainable aquaculture.

Fishmeal; Fish oil; Antioxidants; Bioactive compounds