Advances in Fish Toxicology and Pharmacology

Dear Colleagues, 

The decline of many commercially important wild fish populations has increased the urgency of improving aquaculture technologies. Conventional management practices—particularly the heavy use of antimicrobials and disinfectants around net pens—raise concerns about environmental contamination and the emergence of antimicrobial‑resistant bacteria. Tackling these challenges requires preventive and therapeutic strategies that prioritize animal health, and long‑term sustainability.

Well‑characterized model species such as zebrafish (Danio rerio) and medaka (Oryzias latipes) continue to serve as powerful experimental platforms for toxicological and pharmacological research beyond biomedical applications. The modern era of fish toxicology was catalyzed in the late 1970s by widespread outbreaks of “blue sac disease” in lake trout fry in Lake Ontario, which focused attention on dioxins and related contaminants. Since then, a broad array of pollutants have been studied in both developmental stages and adult fish. Various fish species also are widely used as sentinels for environmental monitoring and toxicity assessment.

This Special Issue seeks to compile and highlight recent advances in fish‑based toxicology and pharmacology, including mechanistic studies, environmental monitoring, drug and chemical safety assessment, aquaculture applications, and pharmacological effects on fish health. We welcome submissions on all fish species and experimental approaches, including original research articles, reviews, and short communications.

Prof. Dr. Hiroki Teraoka
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.