Polychaetes Aquaculture: Global Successes and Opportunities for Development in Latin America

Abstract

Polychaetes are the most diverse group within marine annelids, and they have raised increasing interest in industrial aquaculture especially as an alternative food resource and for developing biotechnological products. This study aimed to analyse information regarding global success in polychaetes aquaculture as a tool for developing sustainable and innovative in Latin America. To achieve this, a systematic review was conducted following the current PRISMA guidelines, analysing articles, reviews and technical reports as open-access documents, excluding theses, dissertations, presentations and extended abstracts published in English, Portuguese and Spanish up to 2024. The following electronic databases were considered: Elsevier´s Scopus, ScienceDirect, SciELO and Google Scholar. This review was structured around the following subtopics: Global Successes in Polychaetes Aquaculture, Polychaetes Aquaculture in Latin America, Development Opportunities for Latin America and Associated Risks. Countries such as the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Australia and France have experimentally cultured polychaetes and developed derived products for applications in industrial aquaculture, health, cosmetics and pet food. In addition, preliminary studies from countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Panama and Mexico have been evaluated. Other important aspects for this research were species identification and ecological studies in guiding research and development. This point is especially relevant in Latin American countries where these studies are scarce.