Low-Trophic-Level Species Sardinella brasiliensis in Aquaculture: Crosstalk Between Aquaculture and Fisheries

Abstract Aquaculture plays an important role in the world’s productive, social, and economic growth. The production of low-trophic-level fish such as Clupeids, aimed at the sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry, is a desirable and promising strategy, considering that low-trophic-level species represent approximately 30% of global fish production and contribute directly to worldwide food security. Clupeids, consisting mainly of herring, sardines, shads, and anchovies, form one of the main fisheries resources in the oceans, and the use of fish meal and fish oil to manufacture feed used to nourish fish in aquaculture also affects aquatic productivity through the capture of species, including small pelagic fish. The effects of overfishing on low-trophic-level species can have major impacts on marine ecosystems, and reducing the pressure on these natural stocks would be of extreme ecological importance. Aquaculture is an important tool for alleviating hunger and poverty in developing countries, providing a source of high-quality animal protein and generating employment and income. In Brazil, the cultivation of the Brazilian sardine Sardinella brasiliensis has been shown to be a viable alternative in marine fish farming due to its biological characteristics and economic and ecological importance. The present review addressed the interrelationship between fishing and the cultivation of S. brasiliensis, and how marine fish farming can be used as a compensatory tool in the supply of small marine pelagic fish threatened by overfishing in different regions of the world.