Biotechnology seems to be an interesting field of using technology, molecular tools for advancement in the field of health, industries, environmental challenges, agriculture, animal husbandry and even fisheries and aquaculture. Yeah! You read it right, the vast field of biotechnology includes marine biotechnology also. Well, have you ever heard of marine biotechnology or aquaculture biotechnology? You might not know much about it but it is a flourishing and integral field.
Marine Biotechnology is the development of techniques that can help in the conservation and protection of marine resources. It is a study of how different organisms and phenomena in the ocean can be used for the betterment of mankind. It helps in the advancement of the agricultural and environmental industry helping in pesticides and salt-resistant enzymes. Marine biotechnology can be related to the agricultural industry. This is further called aquaculture.
Aquaculture is also known as “aqua farming”. It is the breeding, raising and harvesting of species like shellfish, striped bass and salmon, and abalone and blue mussels to improve nutritional values and then further used for human food consumption. This technology is growing as the demand for seafood is increasing. It also helps in restoring endangered species. This technological advancement is considered economically, environmentally and socially sustainable by the NOAA. There are various types of aquaculture like mariculture, fish farming, algaculture and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. The most common aqua farming is fish farming in which a particular fish species is bred and harvested and then used for human food consumption. It is the easiest of all the others in terms of cultivation and most beneficial to the farmer and consumers. Then there is mariculture which involves the culture of marine animal species like prawns and other shellfish, seaweed, molluscs in their habit-like conditions. Along with the food industry, they're used in cosmetics, jewellery, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Moving on to integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. In this, some species are injected with the byproducts of another species in the form of fertilizers, food etc. This increases efficiency, better balance in the ecosystems and reduces waste by processes like bioremediation.
Marine bioremediation is used for cleaning/ reducing waste, toxins, sewage, sludge, seafood wastes from the ocean by the use of genetically modified animals made in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. These genetically modified animals have surfactant properties that degrade the waste.
Advancement in science is always limited by the boundaries that ethics and the inability to access resources. So, what do you think can be some challenges faced in the field of marine biotechnology?