Use of Probiotics in Aquaculture

Aquaculture is one of the fastest developing growth sectors in the world. Disease outbreaks are constraint to aquaculture production thereby affects both economic development of the country and socio-economic status of the local people in many countries. Disease control in aquaculture industry has been achieved by different methods using traditional ways, synthetic chemicals and antibiotics. However, the use of such expensive chemotherapeutants for controlling diseases has been widely criticized for their negative impacts like accumulation of residues, development of drug resistance, and reduced consumer preference for aqua products treated with antibiotics and traditional methods are ineffective against controlling new diseases in large aquaculture systems. Therefore, alternative methods need to be developed to maintain a healthy environment in the aquaculture systems. Use of probiotics is one of such method that is gaining importance. Probiotics are defined as live cells or a substrate that provides benefits through stimulation of growth, improved digestion, improved immune response and ingested with the aim of promoting good health. Probiotics have been widely used in livestock rearing, have also recently been applied to aquaculture to elevate the production. Probiotics can also improve water quality and pond management. This article describes some of the applications of probiotics in aquaculture.