AbstractCatfish is one of the most cultivated species world-wide. Antibiotics are usually used in catfish farming as thera-peutic and prophylactic agents. In the USA, only oxytetracy-cline, a combination of sulfadimethoxine and ormetoprim, and florfenicol are approved by the Food Drug Administration for specific fish species (e.g., catfish and salmonids) and their specific diseases. Misuse of antibiotics as prophylactic agents in disease prevention, however, is common and contributes in the development of antibiotic resistance. Various studies had reported on antibiotic residues and/or resistance in farmed spe-cies, feral fish, water column, sediments, and, in a lesser con-tent, among farm workers. Ninety percent of the world aqua-culture production is carried out in developing countries, which lack regulations and enforcement on the use of antibi-otics. Hence, efforts are needed to promote the development and enforcement of such a regulatory structure. Alternatives to antibiotics such as antibacterial vaccines, bacteriophages and their lysins, and probiotics have been applied to curtail the increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to the imprudent application of antibiotics in aquaculture