Polyculture is a relevant practice for improving the aquaculture sustainability, generating interest in its implementation in a variety of production systems. However, polyculture is a complex approach that can lead not only to complementarity between species, but also to interspecific competition and animal welfare issues. Potential benefits can be expected from polyculture provided there is compatibility and complementarity between the species combined. It is therefore essential to identify the best species combinations for a given aquaculture system. In this context, we develop a conceptual integrative workflow for standardizing and planning the development of new fish polycultures. This workflow is designed to select all possible combinations of a set of species on the basis of three successive evaluation steps. Overall, these steps consider the compatibility and complementarity of co- farmed species, as well as stakeholder requirements, sustainability and fish welfare. Step 1 selects the most promising combinations of compatible species (i.e. "prospective combinations") based on the opinions and expectations of stakeholders, using databases and surveys. Step 2 validates the effectiveness of potential combinations on the basis of bioassays, considering species complementarity and animal welfare. Step 3 implements the best species combination(s) in aquaculture production, during which prototyping is used to study the sustainability of the resulting commercial production system. The resulting workflow aims to be a valuable tool for innovation in aquaculture by exploiting the opportunities and strengths of polyculture.