A Review on application of Aquaculture drugs for sustainable Aquaculture

The increasing global demand for aquaculture products has necessitated the development of sustainable farming practices to meet food security goals.Use of drugs in aquaculture is practiced mainly for management of diseases, growth promotion, and health maintenance of fish. This will eventually ensure efficient processing in the field. This review therefore intends to give an overview of the drugs applied in aquaculture including antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics, and probiotics, their applications, and their particular contribution towards achieving sustainable aquaculture. Though these drugs contribute immensely to increased survival rates of fish and, subsequently, decrease in economic losses, uncontrolled or overuse of such drugs may lead to problems such as AMR, pollution, and other modifications in aquatic ecosystems. The paper strongly emphasizes responsible use of drugs and, besides these, expounds on other alternatives such as immunostimulants and herbal products that recently gained popularity due to their eco-friendliness. It further highlights the regulatory frameworks of drug use in aquaculture and the need to follow established guidelines that would prevent any danger to human health, the environment, and the sustainability of the industry. Future research should be toward developing better therapeutic agents that are more efficient and safer and strategies for monitoring and managing residues of drugs used. Therefore, an integrated approach combined with technological advancements, responsible usage of drugs, and environmentally friendly alternatives should be considered to make the aquaculture sector sustainable in the long run.