Advances in Fish Welfare and Physiology
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 14
Special Issue Editor
Interests: aquaculture; fish welfare; welfare assessment; behaviour; food intake; cognitive abilities; neurotransmitters; monoamines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The increasing demand for fish for human consumption has driven the rapid growth of aquaculture in recent decades, leading to a sharp rise in the number of fish kept in captivity and raising concerns about their welfare. Ensuring appropriate housing and high welfare standards requires a deep understanding of each species' biology across all stages of production, from hatchery and growth to transport and slaughter.
Traditionally, fish welfare has been assessed through physical health indicators, such as nutritional status or absence of disease. However, recent research highlights the advanced cognitive abilities of many fish species, including their capacity to experience complex emotions and respond behaviourally to environmental changes. These findings stress the need to consider mental, alongside physiological, well-being in welfare assessments.
Emerging strategies to improve welfare include nutritional enrichment. Recent publications have examined functional feed additives, such as glucans and oligochitosans, which can reduce stress and enhance immunity, thereby positively impacting welfare.
The diversity of farmed species, each with distinct behavioural and cognitive profiles, results in a challenge for universal welfare standards, making species-specific approaches essential.
This Special Issue welcomes original research and reviews on recent developments in fish welfare science. We invite contributions that explore physiological and behavioural indicators of welfare, with a particular interest in how cognitive abilities shape welfare outcomes and in testing hypotheses related to mental and physical wellbeing in aquaculture environments.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Mauro Chivite Alcalde
Guest Editor
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
- animal welfare
- fish welfare
- welfare assessment
- aquaculture
- cognitive abilities
- species-specific approaches
- farmed species diversity
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
