Important operational changes that have gradually been assimilated and new approaches that are developing as part of the movement toward sustainable intensive aquaculture production systems are presented via historical, current, and future perspectives. Improved environmental and economic sustainability based on increased efficiency of production continues to be realized. As a result, aquaculture continues to reduce its carbon footprint through reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Reduced use of freshwater and land resources per unit of production, improved feed management practices as well as increased knowledge of nutrient requirements, effective feed ingredients and additives, domestication of species, and new farming practices are now being applied or evaluated. Successful expansion into culture of marine species, both off and on shore, offers the potential of substantial increases in sustainable intensive aquaculture production combined with integrative efforts to increase efficiency will principally contribute to satisfying the increasing global demand for protein and food security needs.

The need to develop standardized diets to support zebrafish (Danio rerio) research is supported by the knowledge that specific dietary ingredients, nutrients, or antinutritional factors in diets have been shown to affect development and growth of adult D. rerio and their offspring. In this study, there were seven dietary treatments consisting of five commercially available diets and two laboratory-prepared diets, three replicates per treatment. Fish were fed ad libitum twice daily for 9 weeks. At 9 weeks, both weight and length were recorded to determine condition indices. D. rerio fed one of the laboratory-prepared diets had significantly higher weights than individuals fed any of the other diets and exhibited significantly higher lengths than those fed five of the six remaining diets. Although there were significant differences in general growth demographics (length=weight) after the 9-week feeding trial, no significant differences in overall health of D. rerio were observed for the different dietary treatments as determined by statistical analysis of condition factor indices (K ¼ [weightÂ100]=length 3 ). The success achieved with the laboratory-prepared diets represents the foundation for establishing an open-formulation nutritional standard to ensure that the D. rerio model for research does not generate confounding research results caused by nutritional vagaries.

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The value of the zebrafish model has been well established. However, culture variability within and among laboratories remains a concern, particularly as it relates to nutrition. Investigators using rodent models addressed this concern several decades ago and have developed strict nutritional regimes to which their models adhere. These investigators decreased the variability associated with nutrition in most studies by developing standardized reference and open formulation diets. Zebrafish investigators have not embraced this approach. In this article, we address the problems associated with the lack of nutritional information and standardization in the zebrafish research community. Based on the knowledge gained from studies of other animals, including traditional research models, other fish species, domesticated and companion animals, and humans, we have proposed an approach that seeks to standardize nutrition research in zebrafish. We have identified a number of factors for consideration in zebrafish nutrition studies and have suggested a number of proposed outcomes. The long term-goal of nutrition research will be to identify the daily nutritional requirements of the zebrafish and to develop appropriate standardized reference and open formulation diets.

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