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Animals
Special Issues
Early Development and Growth of Fishes: 2nd Edition
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Early Development and Growth of Fishes: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 4803

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dariusz Kucharczyk

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ichthyology and Aquaculture, Warmia and Mazury University in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: fish biology; fish reproduction; fish physiology; conservation biology; fish biodiversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Kupren

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Tourism, Recreation and Ecology, Institute of Engineering and Envi-ronmental Protection, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, ul. Oczapowskiego 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: Aquatic Ecosystems; Fisheries Management; Aquaculture; Fish Biology; Fish Ecology Aquatic Science; Fisheries; Water tourism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The early ontogenetic development and growth of fish are among the many critical issues that strongly influence intensive aquaculture. The development of protocols to produce broodstock for further rearing (e.g., for fattening) requires the careful study and description of the following early developmental stages: embryonic, larval and juvenile. The wide variety of species used in commercial and recreational aquaculture and the ever-increasing number of finfish species being farmed make it imperative to thoroughly investigate and identify the critical aspects of fish development and growth. This process starts with the quality of gametes and larvae; as a result, the influence of the parents, including their nutrition and rearing methods, on the quality of the offspring is of interest. This applies to the influence biotic factors have on development and growth, such as the type of feed, its chemical composition, the content of essential amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins, the content of active feed additives, feeding frequency and stocking density, and abiotic factors, such as water quality parameters, including temperature, salinity, pH, content of nitrogen compounds, and so on. This Special Issue focuses on reviewing research on various aspects of the embryonic, larval and juvenile stages of all types of freshwater, brackish and marine fish species, both wild and farmed. Possible topics include the following:

Technical and environmental aspects of finfish farming protocols;

  • Ecology;
  • Behavior;
  • Nutrition;
  • The physiological and genetic aspects of early ontogeny;
  • Anatomical and morphological development through growth patterns;
  • Diseases, treatments and veterinary requirements;
  • The effects of breeding protocols on egg, larval and juvenile quality;
  • The effects of breeding protocols of spawners on egg and larval quality;
  • The effects of biotic and abiotic factors for spawners on egg and larvae quality;
  • The management, social and economic aspects of juvenile fish.

Prof. Dr. Dariusz Kucharczyk
Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Kupren
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ecology
  • behavior
  • nutrition
  • the physiological and genetic aspects of early ontogeny
  • anatomical and morphological development through growth patterns
  • diseases, treatments and veterinary requirements
  • the effects of breeding protocols on egg, larval and juvenile quality
  • the effects of breeding protocols of spawners on egg and larval quality
  • the effects of biotic and abiotic factors for spawners on egg and larvae quality
  • the management, social and economic aspects of juvenile fish

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2378 KiB  
Article
Ontogenesis from Embryo to Juvenile in Threadsail Filefish, Stephanolepis cirrhifer
by Liming Liu, Xuanhan Liu, Yanqing Wu, Jun Zeng and Wengang Xu
Animals 2025, 15(8), 1124; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15081124 - 13 Apr 2025
Viewed by 224
Abstract
The threadsail filefish, Stephanolepis cirrhifer, is an economically important marine species. However, wild catches have sharply decreased over the past 20 years, causing S. cirrhifer to be added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accordingly, this study seeks to promote [...] Read more.
The threadsail filefish, Stephanolepis cirrhifer, is an economically important marine species. However, wild catches have sharply decreased over the past 20 years, causing S. cirrhifer to be added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accordingly, this study seeks to promote technological development for artificial breeding and early life-stage farming by defining the morphological characteristics of ontogenesis. The fertilized eggs, with a diameter of 0.62 ± 0.01 mm, were spherical and sticky and contained multiple oil globules of varying sizes. The embryonic development was observed and divided into eight phases, which were cleavage, blastocyst, gastrula, neurula, organogenesis, muscular contraction, heart pulsation, and hatching. At 3 days post-hatching (dph), the yolk sac was completely absorbed. The eye developed rapidly, and the mouth fissure and anus initially formed. Some larvae were fed on S-rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis). At 6–8 dph, the upper and lower jaws of larvae were gradually covered by leathery skin, and the head-to-body proportion increased. At 14–16 dph, the fin differentiation occurred in the dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins, with widespread distribution of yellow and melanin on the body surface. Swim bladder was clear. The swimming ability of larva was enhanced, resulting in an obvious clustering phenomenon. At 22–25 dph, the end of the notochord continued to tilt upwards, forming a tail fin. The trunk was evenly distributed with protruding circular punctate scales. The snout was covered with leathery epidermis, and the mouth began to round. At 40–45 dph, the juvenile completed metamorphosis, with horizontal dark stripes appearing on the trunk. Pigmented spots appeared on the tail fins. The counts of dorsal and anal fin spines were 34–36 and 32–34 dph, respectively. During the development of larvae and juveniles, the growth parameters, such as total length, standard length, body height, and body weight, were made as growth curves. The slopes of growth curves were calculated. We found two inflexion points occurring in the growth curves, which may be associated with metamorphosis and transitions in feeding habits. These results enrich the biological understanding of filefish species while providing guidance for artificial propagation and fry production in S. cirrhifer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Development and Growth of Fishes: 2nd Edition)
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22 pages, 5370 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Ultrastructural, Histological, and Morphometric Changes in the Buccal Cavity of Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) During Fingerling, Yearling, and Adult Stages
by Ahmed M. Abdellatif, Ahmed I. Ateya, Khadiga A. Hasan, Mansour A. Alghamdi and Fatma A. Madkour
Animals 2024, 14(21), 3162; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14213162 - 4 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 904
Abstract
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a Cyprinid fish of aquacultural and research importance. The buccal cavity represents the gateway of the digestive tract. The present study investigated the adaptational changes involving various components of the buccal cavity of fingerling (three months [...] Read more.
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a Cyprinid fish of aquacultural and research importance. The buccal cavity represents the gateway of the digestive tract. The present study investigated the adaptational changes involving various components of the buccal cavity of fingerling (three months posthatching, mph), yearling (12 mph), and adult (48 mph) C. idella using scanning electron microscopy, histology, and morphometry. The upper and lower lips appeared uninterrupted at the three studied stages and were limited caudally by the upper and lower jaws. The jaw epithelium was the thickest part of the buccal epithelium; ultrastructurally, it appeared smooth with ridge-like borders in fingerlings that transformed into microgrooves in yearlings. In adult C. idella, the jaw mucosa was organized into dome-shaped masses separated from each other by tight furrows. Each mass was formed from several keratinocytes with corrugated surfaces that featured numerous microdepressions. Except for the jaws, taste buds, mainly of type I, and acidic and neutral goblet cells were observed throughout the mucosa of the buccal cavity, and their densities were highest along the mucosal folds of the palate and oral floor, suggesting a principal role for these parts in both gustation and food lubrication. This study is the first to report age-associated spatiotemporal changes in the buccal cavity of grass carp and will serve as a fundamental reference during the interpretation of various types of oral pathologies in teleost. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Development and Growth of Fishes: 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 836 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Eurasian Perch Production: Innovative Aquaculture in Earthen Ponds Using RAS and RAMPS—Economic Perspective
by Anna Hakuć-Błażowska, Konrad Turkowski, Tomasz Kajetan Czarkowski, Daniel Żarski, Sławomir Krejszeff, Jarosław Król and Krzysztof Kupren
Animals 2024, 14(21), 3100; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14213100 - 27 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1503
Abstract
Aquaculture in rural areas, carried out in accordance with current EU requirements, aims to contribute significantly to the conservation of the biodiversity of aquatic resources, the protection of which is a prerequisite for sustainable economic and social development. The objective of this study [...] Read more.
Aquaculture in rural areas, carried out in accordance with current EU requirements, aims to contribute significantly to the conservation of the biodiversity of aquatic resources, the protection of which is a prerequisite for sustainable economic and social development. The objective of this study was to present the conceptual and technical framework and to analyze the costs and profitability of producing the consumer-attractive Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) based on the untapped potential of hatchery infrastructure and dedicated earthen ponds for common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) production. The experiments were conducted under Polish conditions, but the results/methods can be successfully applied in other countries, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe, where production in earthen ponds is the basis of aquaculture production. The analysis of the profitability of the venture shows that the cost structure was dominated by labor and feed inputs. Despite high variable costs, this type of production can be profitable and contribute to food security and economic development in line with the EU’s Blue Growth Strategy. The article also analyzes the potential opportunities and risks of fish production based on the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) and the Recirculating Aquaculture Multitrophic Pond System (RAMPS). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Development and Growth of Fishes: 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 16387 KiB  
Article
Captive Breeding and Early Developmental Dynamics of Cirrhinus mrigala: Implications for Sustainable Seed Production
by Saeed Akram Khan, Shahid Sherzada, Qurat-ul-Ain Ahmad, Ali Hussain, Nimra Hussain and Joanna Nowosad
Animals 2024, 14(19), 2799; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192799 - 27 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1429
Abstract
Cirrhinus mrigala is an important edible fish with a significant aquaculture contribution in Southeast Asian countries. The current study aims to enhance our understanding of the developmental biology of Cirrhinus mrigala, which is crucial for implementing sustainable fish farming practices. To induce [...] Read more.
Cirrhinus mrigala is an important edible fish with a significant aquaculture contribution in Southeast Asian countries. The current study aims to enhance our understanding of the developmental biology of Cirrhinus mrigala, which is crucial for implementing sustainable fish farming practices. To induce spermiation and ovulation in Cirrhinus mrigala brooders, the synthetic hormone Ovaprim® (GnRH + dopamine inhibitor) was administrated as a single injection dose of 0.2 mL/kg to males and 0.4 mL/kg to females. After induction, the fish spawned, and the eggs produced were fertilized artificially and cell division commenced successfully. The characteristics of each larval developmental stage were closely observed and recorded using a time-lapse imaging technique. The fertilized eggs were spherical, demersal, and non-adhesive throughout their incubation period. The spawned eggs ranged in diameter from 2.1 mm to 2.13 mm and possessed circular yolk sacs. The gastrula stage initiated approximately 4 h after fertilization, with 25% of the yolk sphere covered by blastoderm, reaching 75% coverage at the end of the gastrula stage, approximately 6 h post fertilization. Organogenesis was marked by the formation of notochord and the visibility of rudimentary organs such as the heart, eyes, and gills, followed by tail movement, which was observed at the time of hatching. Compared to other cyprinid fishes, C. mrigala exhibited distinct features at certain stages of embryonic development. Blood circulation was observed to start at the onset of hatching. The lengths of the newly hatched larvae ranged from 2.9 to 3.2 mm, smaller than other reports on induced breeding in carps. The findings of the present study provide a detailed reference for the embryonic development of C. mrigala, which will assist its future research endeavors and large-scale seed production for sustainable aquaculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Development and Growth of Fishes: 2nd Edition)
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