### Environmental and Technical Challenges in Mariculture Production  
Mariculture has direct consequences on the environment, which are attributed to fish farm waste and potential effects on endemic species due to the introduction of non-native species or disease propagation, as well as indirect effects related to the production of fish feed [7]. Other types of marine pollution are eutrophication, acidification, toxins, plastics, and microplastics. Increased nutrient concentrations can cause eutrophication by increased phytoplankton production [8]. Fish convert part of the food into their biomass, and part is excreted as waste products of metabolism into the environment. The possible impact of fish farms on the seabed comes from the organic load caused by the intake of fish metabolites (feces, urine, and gill secretions) and to a less extent from uneaten food from the farm during the rearing cycle [9]. The fish-producing process generates solid and liquid waste such as ammonia, nitrites, phosphates, and other dissolved compounds in farming water [10], as well as CO\({}_{2}\), while their treatment represents challenges, as discussed in [11; 12]. The presence of plastics and other sources of marine rubbish (bottles, cans, fishing gear, etc.) and their impact on the sea conditions and sea products were studied in [13; 14; 15]. [PERSON] et al. [16] discovered microplastics in several fish species from marcilulture production, where microplastics were attached to non-digestive tissues (skin and gills), and in the digestive tissues of the fish stomach, which can harm human health from eating fish. To deal with the environmental problems, but also to improve the existing production, both producers and researchers are continuously looking for ways to ensure the long-term viability of production practices, their efficiency, and profitability. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [17] investigated water quality, the increase in the number of diseases, and other factors which force producers and researchers to develop and apply new, more ecologically and economically acceptable technologies. Technical challenges in mariculture are illustrated in Figure 2. With the depletion of marine resources, efficient fishing output becomes increasingly important. Production input intensity, the scale of the operation, operator experience, education and training, adoption of new technology, and a variety of  
Figure 1: Mariculture production through the years according to [1]. other management issues have an impact on production efficiency [18]. According to [PERSON] et al. [19], challenges to the development of sustainable mariculture production are:  
* Production planning;
* Infrastructure and logistics;
* Energy;
* Regulatory adjustments;
* Safety. The selection of the production location and the success of a project are heavily affected by non-technical factors such as the acceptability of the fish produced (consumer choice), marketing facilities, labor availability, as well as certain political or legal issues [20], while technical factors include design (cage and whole farm structure), waste management, feeding process, among others. Regarding accessibility, the geographic position is fundamental, while durability in higher waves allows for the potential of translocating maricultural objects farther offshore. Wind conditions, currents, water depth, and seawater parameters appropriate for individual species must be considered before establishing a fish farm. One of the most essential aspects of the design of a fish cage system, Figure 3, is predicting the wave forces operating on it, as well as structural integrity and economic sustainability. There are many criteria for defining the final type of cage production, and some were studied in [21; 22; 23; 24; 25]. Net cages of various types are used around the world to increase productivity. They can be of different shapes (square, rectangular, round, etc. ), and net weights made of different materials (polyethylene, polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, etc.).