With the fast development of aquaculture , fish meal needs increased in recent years , however the quantity of fish catching decreases gradually. Fishmeal is a limited feed resource , and serious concern exists on the future availability of this feedstuff for incorporation in fish diets. Undoubtedly , fish meal is well recognized as the best dietary protein source for most marine carnivorous fishes which required high dietary protein levels compared to omnivorous or herbivorous fish. Fishmeal is known for their high content of essential amino acids and fatty acids , low carbohydrates , high digestibility , low levels of anti2nutritional factors (for fresh fish meal) and is a very good source of minerals and is highly palatable. Thus fish meal is in high demand as the protein source for many formulated diets. However , production of fish meal consumes approximately 35 % of the total global fish catch , and the increasing price and potentially unstable supply in the market could be limiting factors for marine fish culture. There have been strong efforts to define and develop cost2effective protein sources that can , at least partly , substitute for expensive high2quality fish meals in least2cost feed formulations. The search for fish meal substitutes and alternative dietary protein sources is an international research priority that could be of considerable economic advantages. Therefore it is urgent task to find animal and plant protein sources in place of fish meal. Among these , plant feedstuffs have received most attention in recent years , but due to their amino acid unbalances , presence of anti2nutritional factors and low palatability , a high level of replacement of fish meal with plant feedstuffs in omnivorous fish is generally not well accepted. This paper reviews the research status for other protein sources replacing fish meal based on available information in the literature. Animal and plant protein sources nutrient values are evaluated from the aspect of digestibility , anti2nutrients , physiological status and suitable supplementation.