Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
1.9
2.1
Journals
Fishes
Special Issues
Development of Low-Crop, Low-Fishmeal or Low-Fish Oil Feeds for Aquaculture
share announcement

Development of Low-Crop, Low-Fishmeal or Low-Fish Oil Feeds for Aquaculture

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Feeding".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 June 2025 | Viewed by 4522

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Houguo Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 106 Nanjing Road, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: aquaculture; marine fish; fish nutrition; lipid; fatty acid
Dr. Qiang Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 106 Nanjing Road, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: fish feed; carbohydrate nutrition; lipid-carbohydrate interaction; hypoxia adaptation; stress physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapidly growing aquaculture industry heightens pressure for the availability of feed ingredients, in particular fishmeal and fish oil. The stagnating production and fluctuating price of fishmeal and fish oil has been a limiting factor of sustainable development of the aqua-feed industry. Therefore, searching for alternative ingredients has emerged as an urgent task and hotspot of aquaculture nutrition research. Numerous studies have been conducted in this area, traditionally mainly targeting at terrestrially sourced plants. However, despite aquaculture consuming only a small fraction of the feed ingredient resources compared to other animal food production systems, aquaculture competes with the livestock industry and direct human consumption for crop resources. As such, developing novel ingredients or further improving the utilization efficiency of current ingredient sources is essential for overcoming the shortage of feed ingredients in aquaculture. The aim of this Special Issue is to investigate innovative strategies that can develop novel ingredients or improve the utilization efficiency of current low-value ingredients. The primary objective is to highlight research that has investigated alternative feed ingredients, feed additives, feed formulations and feeding systems that can enhance animal growth and health, reduce environmental impact and improve the overall efficiency of animal farming. In this project, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Nutritional strategies that optimize the use of current non-crop and low-value resources;
  • Alternative feed ingredients for aquaculture animals, including insects, microalgae and single-cell protein sources;
  • Innovative feed formulations that promote animal growth, health, fillet quality and welfare;
  • Feeding systems that improve efficiency and sustainability, such as precision feeding and automated feeding systems.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Houguo Xu
Dr. Qiang Ma
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. 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

  • sustainability
  • feed ingredient
  • aquaculture
  • productivity
  • feed alternatives

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.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 15335 KiB  
Article
Optimal Dietary Carbohydrates to Lipids Ratio for Fast and Coordinated Test Growth of Juvenile Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus intermedius)
by Panke Gong, Haijing Liu, Dan Gou, Weixiao Di, Jiahao Cao, Jun Ding, Yaqing Chang and Rantao Zuo
Fishes 2025, 10(2), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10020057 - 30 Jan 2025
Viewed by 570
Abstract
Rapid and coordinated test growth is crucial for maintaining the normal body shape of Strongylocentrotus intermedius juveniles. In total, 270 S. intermedius (1.19 ± 0.01 g) were randomly assigned to 18 floating cages. Three cages of sea urchins were fed kelp (Saccharina [...] Read more.
Rapid and coordinated test growth is crucial for maintaining the normal body shape of Strongylocentrotus intermedius juveniles. In total, 270 S. intermedius (1.19 ± 0.01 g) were randomly assigned to 18 floating cages. Three cages of sea urchins were fed kelp (Saccharina japonica) (control diet) or one of five formulated feeds with different carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios (C/L) (1, 2, 4, 8, and 16) for 90 days. The results suggested that the weight gain rate of S. intermedius fed C/L4 was markedly greater than that fed C/L1 and C/L16 except for kelp, C/L2, and C/L8. The test diameter (TD) and test height (TH) gain rates of S. intermedius fed C/L4 were markedly greater than those fed other dry feeds except for C/L2. The TH/TD of S. intermedius fed kelp was markedly greater than that fed dry feeds, except for C/L1 and C/L2. Juvenile S. intermedius fed C/L2 showed higher test magnesium content, larger holes, and longer and thinner trabeculae than those fed other dry feeds. Overall, juvenile S. intermedius fed C/L4 had the highest body weight gain rate and test growth rate among the formulated feed groups. Juveniles fed C/L2 had the most coordinated test growth reflected by TD/TH, which is comparable to those fed kelp. Therefore, the optimal C/L for rapid and coordinated test growth of juvenile S. intermedius should be higher than 2 but lower than 4. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Low-Crop, Low-Fishmeal or Low-Fish Oil Feeds for Aquaculture)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 2273 KiB  
Article
Supplementation of Enzymatic Hydrolysate in Low-Fishmeal and Low-Crop Diet Improves Growth, Antioxidant Capacity, and Immunity of Juvenile Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka)
by Qingfei Li, Zhengyong Liu, Gang Yang, Danyang Zhang, Huimin Qin, Bin Xia, Shilin Liu and Jinghua Chen
Fishes 2025, 10(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10020042 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 873
Abstract
As the global demand for aquafeed ingredients continues to rise, sourcing sustainable alternatives is crucial for aquaculture industries. This study aimed to explore the potential of enzymatic hydrolysate as a substitute for traditional fishmeal and soybean meal in diets for juvenile sea cucumbers [...] Read more.
As the global demand for aquafeed ingredients continues to rise, sourcing sustainable alternatives is crucial for aquaculture industries. This study aimed to explore the potential of enzymatic hydrolysate as a substitute for traditional fishmeal and soybean meal in diets for juvenile sea cucumbers (Apostichopus japonicus). Three isonitrogenous (15% crude protein) and isolipidic (2.4% crude lipid) diets were formulated: a control diet containing 10% fishmeal and 5% soybean meal and two experimental low-fishmeal (8%) and low-soybean meal (0%) diets, supplemented with either 8% enzymatically hydrolyzed fish stickwater (EFS) or 8% enzymatically hydrolyzed chicken pulp (ECP), designated as Control, EFS, and ECP, respectively. Juvenile sea cucumbers (initial body weight, 0.25 ± 0.01 g) were fed these diets for 84 days to evaluate the effects of ECP and EFS on their growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and inflammatory responses. The results revealed significantly higher final weights and specific growth rates in both experimental groups than the control (p < 0.05). The proximate chemical compositions of sea cucumber were less affected by the diets (p > 0.05). Compared with the control group, significantly elevated levels of digestive enzymes, antioxidants, and lysozyme, together with lower malondialdehyde levels, were recorded in the experimental groups (p < 0.05). ECP appeared to exhibit greater potency than EFS in enhancing growth performance and antioxidant capacity. Similar trends were observed in the mRNA expression of SOD, CAT, and inflammation-related genes across the groups. In a nutshell, both ECP and EFS supplemented in a low-fishmeal and low-soybean meal diet could effectively promote the growth and health of A. japonicus, with ECP showing a superior effect over EFS. These findings suggest that enzymatic hydrolysate demonstrates potential as a viable alternative to traditional fishmeal and soybean meal in diets for sustainable sea cucumber aquaculture. Further investigations are warranted to reveal its underlying mechanism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Low-Crop, Low-Fishmeal or Low-Fish Oil Feeds for Aquaculture)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1251 KiB  
Article
Effects of Dietary Protein and Lipid Levels on the Growth Performance and Serum Biochemical Indices of Juvenile Furong Crucian Carp
by Zhigang He, Xing Tian, Jinlong Li, Jiarong Guo, Xiaofei Cheng and Dongwu Wang
Fishes 2024, 9(11), 466; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9110466 - 16 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1482
Abstract
The impact of dietary protein and lipid levels on the growth performance, feed utilization, and serum biochemical indices of Furong crucian carp was examined. Five hundred and forty carp (2.35 ± 0.08 g) were randomly assigned to nine groups and fed diets with [...] Read more.
The impact of dietary protein and lipid levels on the growth performance, feed utilization, and serum biochemical indices of Furong crucian carp was examined. Five hundred and forty carp (2.35 ± 0.08 g) were randomly assigned to nine groups and fed diets with three different protein levels (30.0, 35.0, and 40.0%) and three different lipid levels (4.0, 7.0, and 10.0%) for 60 days. The current findings revealed that the interaction effect between dietary lipid and protein levels exhibited significance for the final average weight (FAW), weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), feed efficiency (FE), energy deposition rate (EDR), whole-fish energy, ash, and fat content (p < 0.05). Specifically, there was a significant reduction in FAW, WGR, and SGR with increasing dietary fat supplementation. Conversely, FE, EDR, and protein efficiency ratios were significantly decreased with increasing dietary protein levels (p < 0.05). Furthermore, serum albumin and globulin levels exhibited significant increases in response to dietary lipid inclusion (p < 0.05). The findings collectively indicate that Furong crucian carp fed a diet comprising 4% lipid and 30% protein exhibited the optimal growth and feed utilization. Conversely, excessive protein and lipid supplementation were detrimental to growth and resulted in the aggravation of metabolic disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Low-Crop, Low-Fishmeal or Low-Fish Oil Feeds for Aquaculture)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

18 pages, 1031 KiB  
Article
Effect of Low-Proportion Replacement of Dietary Fishmeal with Neanthes japonica Meal on Growth Performance, Body Composition, Muscle Texture, Serum Biochemistry, Digestive Enzymes and Gene Expression in Juvenile Tiger Puffer Takifugu rubripes
by Qingyan Gao, Yuhan Fan, Renxiao Zhang, Jinghui Fang, Qiang Ma, Yuliang Wei, Mengqing Liang, Feng Liu and Houguo Xu
Fishes 2024, 9(9), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9090362 - 17 Sep 2024
Viewed by 969
Abstract
The polychaeta Neanthes japonica is a common by-product in mariculture ponds. It is rich in essential nutrients, but has not been well-explored. Therefore, this 56-day experiment investigated the effects of substituting N. japonica meal for dietary fishmeal on juvenile tiger puffer (15.49 ± [...] Read more.
The polychaeta Neanthes japonica is a common by-product in mariculture ponds. It is rich in essential nutrients, but has not been well-explored. Therefore, this 56-day experiment investigated the effects of substituting N. japonica meal for dietary fishmeal on juvenile tiger puffer (15.49 ± 0.02 g, n = 450 fish). The control diet (CON) contained 40% fishmeal. Freeze-dried N. japonica meal (FNM) was supplemented into CON at the levels of 3% (FNM3), 6% (FNM6), and 9% (FNM9), replacing fishmeal. The fifth diet contained 6% oven-dried N. japonica meal (ONM6), replacing fishmeal. The results indicated that no significant difference was observed in growth, feed efficiency, and somatic index among all the treatment groups. The feed intake of the FNM6 group was significantly higher compared to CON. No significant difference was detected in fish proximate composition, as well as the fatty acid composition, amino acid composition, and muscle texture. The supplementation of N. japonica meal decreased the activities of intestinal lipase and α-amylase. The addition of freeze-dried N. japonica meal significantly up-regulated the expression of the intestinal amino-glycine transporter pat1. It was concluded that adding 9% N. japonica meal to the feed had no significant effect on the growth performance and body composition of juvenile tiger puffer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Low-Crop, Low-Fishmeal or Low-Fish Oil Feeds for Aquaculture)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop