8. Conclusions
The increasing food demand amidst a growing population, water scarcity, and limited
land for the expansion of aquacultural practices have become major constraints on a global
scale. To satisfy the growing demand for animal protein, intensive aquaculture is one
of the promising alternatives. However, this system of food production comes with its
demerits, one of which is its pollution of the surrounding ecosystem due to the discharge of
nutrient-rich effluents. Likewise, intensive aquacultural practices have led to increased dis-
ease outbreaks, poor growth performance, and increased dependency on fishmeal, which
is costly and scarce. BFT is, however, a sustainable and more environmentally friendly
food production system characterized by zero water exchange and intensive culture of
aquatic species. Moreover, this technology permits the utilization of bioflocs as a nutritious
feed source, hence lowering feeding and production costs as well as dependency on fish-
meal. Bioflocs also stimulate the immune system of the animals, thus lowering the risk
of pathogen-associated disease outbreaks in the system. Likewise, several studies have
indicated that probiotic addition in BFT systems and/or their dietary administration im-
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proves the immunity of cultured fishes and crustaceans. Despite the increasing popularity
of BFT systems, more research is needed to optimize the operational parameters (such as
energy needs) with lower costs of production for the system in order to ensure that they
are acceptable and feasible for small-scale farmers and those from developing countries.
Energy alternatives such as solar power, gas, and wind turbines should be considered.
Furthermore, for this system to create a more sustainable impact in aquaculture production,
more studies on tolerance levels regarding the water quality of aquatic species reared in
BFT under commercial settings are needed since reference levels used for the production of
certain species are derived from clear water or water exchange systems. Moreover, most
of these studies are conducted on a small scale or under laboratory settings, which are
far from commercial conditions. Lastly, there is an urgent need to disseminate research
findings on BFT systems to farmers as this will help them in acquiring the skills required
for better management of the system and, in turn, generate more profit.
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