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Fishes
Special Issues
Sustainable Aquaculture and Seafood Production
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Sustainable Aquaculture and Seafood Production

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2026 | Viewed by 3283

Editor

Dr. Ewen Mclean

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Aqua Cognoscenti LLC., 479 Henslowe Lane, West Columbia, SC 29170, USA
Interests: fish nutrition; gastrointestinal physiology; product quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquaculture faces many challenges, the most important being its ability to expand without negative social, environmental, or economic concerns. These aspirations are central to the U.N.’s sustainability goals, but historically the sector has been responsible for over- or misuse of water resources, eutrophication events, competition for land use and navigational rights, introductions of invasive species, disease transfers, genetic and chemical pollution, losses to biodiversity, and other direct and indirect negative environmental impacts. Some of these issues have been tempered by strengthening governance and applying research findings. For example, stronger genetic programs, novel feed ingredients, and vaccines have reduced disease outbreaks and use of antimicrobials. Increasingly, automation has become essential to water quality monitoring and waste management, biomass estimation, elite feeding, energy efficiency, and more. Digital tools play progressively important roles in feed manufacture, quality control, product traceability, harvesting, and marketing. The emergence of disruptive engineering technologies, gene-editing tools, and AI presents the means to further increase system and production efficiencies. When united with enhanced biological knowledge (e.g., functional genomics, microbiome dynamics, immunity, metabolism), the growth potential and sustainability of aquaculture will be reinforced. This Special Issue will collate original scientific papers, review articles, and experience-based material that will future-proof sector sustainability.

Dr. Ewen Mclean
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • governance
  • economic viability
  • climate change
  • social well-being
  • environmental impact
  • feed ingredients
  • animal health and welfare
  • engineering
  • product quality
  • automation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 586 KB  
Article
Isotopic Analysis as a Potential Tool to Verify Feed Protein Sources for Aquacultured Species
by Kelly Brandeau Campbell, Michael Tlusty and Frederic T. Barrows
Fishes 2026, 11(6), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11060363 - 17 Jun 2026
Viewed by 691
Abstract
This study identified δ15N stable isotope ratios as a robust tracer for fishmeal inclusion in aquaculture feeds. δ15N and δ13C values from fish muscle samples derived from feeding trials with seven species (n = 3–5 fish [...] Read more.
This study identified δ15N stable isotope ratios as a robust tracer for fishmeal inclusion in aquaculture feeds. δ15N and δ13C values from fish muscle samples derived from feeding trials with seven species (n = 3–5 fish per diet group) were evaluated (+/−0.1‰ for both δ15N and δ13C; ~1% relative to % N and % C) to verify whether the presence or absence of fishmeal (FM) in feeds could be detected. C and N isotopic data were also analyzed for feed in two of the trials. δ13C signatures did not differ consistently across diet groups for each species examined, with mean δ13C values for all species investigated being −20.2‰ ± 1.3. In contrast, a strong δ15N distinction was discerned between FM- and non-FM-fed fish for both muscle and feed samples, with FM-fed groups presenting higher values (p < 0.01) than non-FM-fed groups (range 0.8 to 9.5‰). Dietary ingredients other than FM (e.g., fish oil and algal oil) did not impact the δ15N isotopic fingerprint, although the addition of poultry byproduct meal to plant-based salmon diets caused an average 0.3‰ difference in δ15N values. The findings are not absolute as CN isotopes can be used to detect large but not small differences in feed components. Additional research on threshold levels, ingredient sourcing, and species differences is warranted to refine the method to enhance industry transparency and seafood consumer confidence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Aquaculture and Seafood Production)
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Review

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44 pages, 1726 KB  
Review
Responses of Rainbow Trout to Fishmeal Replacement with Terrestrial/Aerial Animal Proteins
by Ewen McLean, Sofea Smith, Ford Brodeur and Frederic T. Barrows
Fishes 2026, 11(4), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11040198 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1983
Abstract
Research designed to reduce or eliminate fishmeal (FM) in trout feeds, for reasons that have changed over time, has been conducted for over a century. Reducing the dependency on FM remains one of the most urgent issues facing the industry. Feed represents the [...] Read more.
Research designed to reduce or eliminate fishmeal (FM) in trout feeds, for reasons that have changed over time, has been conducted for over a century. Reducing the dependency on FM remains one of the most urgent issues facing the industry. Feed represents the most expensive operational cost of fed aquaculture, and is responsible for ecosystem disturbance following nutrient discharges. Rainbow trout, the second most farmed salmonid globally, can be raised completely without FM or fish oil (FO), with its growth and efficiency not differing from trout fed FM-based feeds. However, ingredient choice and nutrient supplementation strongly influence physiological responses, efficiency, and long-term outcomes. As land animal proteins are increasingly used in place of FM, both with and void of dietary FO, their distinct biological effects warrant focused evaluation. Although numerous studies have synthesized findings across various alternative protein categories including those with insect proteins and animal by-products, this literature is widely disseminated and sometimes difficult to access. The present contribution focuses on terrestrial/aerial animal proteins that have been used to totally replace FM in rainbow trout feeds. Attention is given to their effects on physiological control processes that may influence production efficiency. Areas worthy of future study are identified and include long-term performance and health dynamics, the refinement of nutritional and formulation strategies, and the broader evaluation of biological interactions and system-level outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Aquaculture and Seafood Production)
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