Aquaculture, like any food industry, must mitigate diseases and always strive for the best growing environment for their animals. Unfortunately, good disease control and prevention often results from previous trial and error. Thankfully, extensive research and documented solutions helps new farms from repeating mistakes of the past. Additionally, stringent regulations now prevent any previously contaminated seafood from being sold in the United States, imported or not. 

​

Some seafood farms, like any other type of farm, struggle with disease outbreaks. Antibiotics are sometimes used but improved water quality and the use of probiotics have greatly reduced the need for antibiotics in systems such as ponds and recirculating aquaculture systems. Industry news and academic publications report that antibiotic use is declining across the industry. Any antibiotic used in fish sold in the United States must be approved by the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the early history of commercial aquaculture has created some dire circumstances in environments surrounding the farms. This has led to the use of prebiotics and probiotics. The basic concept is to feed adequate amounts of microbes to the organism to support and modify the microbiome of the animals' gut by replacing harmful microbes with beneficial ones. Probiotics act as natural immune enhancers, helping protect the intestine of the animals against pathogens, therefore decreasing the chances of disease outbreaks within the fish stocks. Probitoics are being used in farms from shrimp all the way to salmon. 

​

Certification schemes also provide reassurance to the public that farmed seafood is safe for human consumption. Similar to certification schemes, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch provides in depth recommendations on what types of farm-raised seafood are safest and most sustainable. Contrary to the outdated pamphlets in many people's homes, the Seafood Watch has numerous aquacultured "Best Choice" recommendations on their website. 

​

The safety of the farm employees is very important to the industry. Due to it being a young industry, regulations are still catching up to ensure the safety of all aquaculture employees. To read more on the subject, click here.