** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IN RESPONSE TO THE FAST-GROWING GLOBAL POPULATION AND INCREASING DEMAND FOR ANIMAL PROTEIN, AQUACULTURE IS THE FASTEST-GROWING ANIMAL FOOD PRODUCTION SECTOR WORLDWIDE. WITH GROWING COMPETITION FOR NATURAL RESOURCES (LAND, WATER, ETC.) AMONG ALL PRODUCTION SECTORS, THE INTENSIFICATION OF AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS HAS EMERGED AS A PROMISING PATHWAY FOR INCREASING AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION. ACCOMPANYING THE AQUACULTURE INTENSIFICATION IS THE INCREASED DEMAND FOR FEED AND INCREASED WASTE PRODUCTION. ON THE ONE HAND, AQUAFEED IS RECOGNIZED AS THE CRITICAL FACTOR LIMITING THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY'S GROWTH. ON THE OTHER HAND, AQUATIC WASTE IS OFTEN DISCHARGED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT, CAUSING EUTROPHICATION AND THREATENING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS. THEREFORE, SUSTAINED INTENSIFICATION OF AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION MUST BE COUPLED WITH A SUFFICIENT SUPPLY OF SUSTAINABLE NUTRIENTS (FEED) AND EFFICIENT WASTE MANAGEMENT.THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE A NOVEL, SUSTAINABLE AND PROFITABLE WASTE-TO-FEED (W2F) BIOTECHNOLOGY, WHICH SOLVES THE TWO PROBLEMS MENTIONED ABOVE (I.E., LIMITED AQUAFEED AND INCREASING WASTE) WITH A SINGLE SOLUTION. THE PROPOSED W2F BIOTECHNOLOGY INTEGRATES THE COMMERCIALLY PROVEN ANAEROBIC DIGESTION (AD) WITH A RECENTLY PATENTED CIRCULATING COCULTURE BIOFILM PHOTOBIOREACTOR (CCBP) TO CONVERT AQUACULTURE WASTE INTO SINGLE CELL PROTEIN (SCP) AS AQUAFEED SUPPLEMENTS WHILE PRODUCING TREATED CLEAN WATER AND FERTILIZER. THE WASTE-DERIVED SCP'S EFFICACY AS A NUTRIENT SOURCE WILL BE EVALUATED ON PACIFIC WHITE SHRIMP. THE TREATED CLEAN WATER WILL BE TESTED TO SATISFY THE EPA STANDARDS ON TOTAL NITROGEN (TN) AND TOTAL PHOSPHORUS (TP) CONCENTRATIONS.