Biodiversity—The Cornerstone of Sustainable Aquaculture Development: Insights From the Breeding of Approved Fish Varieties for Aquaculture From 1996 to 2024 in China

ABSTRACT Aquaculture, especially fish farming, plays a critical role in sustainable food production worldwide, with human consumption of fish and fish products exceeding that of capture fisheries. While aquatic species constitute an invaluable reserve of biodiversity, the values of biodiversity in aquaculture remain largely unacknowledged. China is not only the most significant consumer but also the most prominent contributor to global aquaculture production. This study delineates the characteristics of 150 fish varieties approved for aquaculture in China between 1996 and 2024, including species diversity, habitat distribution, and trophic level of their germplasm resources, to illustrate why biodiversity matters in our food systems. Our results reveal an increasing trend in the use of native fish species, which inhabit diverse habitats and occupy higher trophic levels, in the cultivation of novel fish varieties for aquaculture. We also found that 81 (54%) of the 150 approved varieties involved multiple germplasm resources with 46 (30.7%) being interspecific. These observations emphasize the reliance of aquaculture breeding on the diversity of germplasm resources, which fundamentally depend on natural biodiversity. Taken together, the breeding practices adopted for the approved fish varieties in China highlight the significance of biodiversity conservation in the sustainable advancement of aquaculture.