Aquaculture Feed and Fertilizer Resources Information System (AFFRIS) is intended to provide information on aquaculture feed and nutrient resources and guidelines to use the information on the feeding strategy.

Each national aquaculture sector must be made aware of:

• National agricultural feed and fertilizer resources available to them,
• When, how and who is currently using these resources,
• Composition and cost of these resources at source and with transportation,
• The status of the existing animal feed manufacturing industry and its regulations, and
• How they obtain and best use the available feed resources (whether they be cow dung, poultry manure, rice bran or imported fishmeal) within their own dietary feeding strategies.

Such an approach is essential if countries are to maximize their use of locally available feed and fertilizer resources, and so reduce their dependence upon imported fertilizers and feed ingredient sources and ready-made compound aquafeeds, and consequently reduce nutrient input costs and base feeding policies and strategies upon the use of sustainable feed ingredient sources and feed lines.

The information system will contain the following:

1. Aquaculture feed and fertilizer resources: source, location, availability (seasonal and regional), utilization (human use, domestic animal and aquatic species);

2. Nutrient composition of feed ingredients including amino acid, fatty acid and minerals; and information on toxicity and ant-nutritional factors inhibiting their use; and

3. Aquaculture species information including their nutrient requirements and husbandry practices.