How can plant genetic engineering contribute to cost-effective fish vaccine development for promoting sustainable aquaculture?

Abstract Aquaculture, the fastest growing food-produc-ing sector, now accounts for nearly 50 % of the world’s food fish (FAO in The state of world fisheries and aqua-culture. FAO, Rome, 2010). The global aquaculture pro-duction of food fish reached 62.7 million tonnes in 2011 and is continuously increasing with an estimated produc-tion of food fish of 66.5 million tonnes in 2012 (a 9.4 % increase in 1 year, FAO, www.fao.org/fishery/topic/16140). Aquaculture is not only important for sustainable protein-based food fish production but also for the aquaculture industry and economy worldwide. Disease prevention is the key issue to maintain a sustainable development of aquaculture. Widespread use of antibiotics in aquaculture has led to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the accumulation of antibiotics in the environment