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Fishes
Special Issues
Welfare and Stressor in Aquaculture: Mechanisms, Management, and Sustainable Solutions
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Welfare and Stressor in Aquaculture: Mechanisms, Management, and Sustainable Solutions

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Welfare, Health and Disease".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 2465

Editors

Dr. Kai Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China
Interests: aquaculture; environment regulation; mathematical model
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Guangjun Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China
Interests: aquaculture; fish health and welfare; environment regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue “Welfare and Stressor in Aquaculture: Mechanisms, Management, and Sustainable Solutions” focus on the vital concerns of aquatic animal welfare and stress management in aquaculture. As aquaculture continues to expand to meet global demands for aquatic products, ensuring the well-being of cultured animals and mitigating stressors has become paramount.

This issue delves into a wide array of topics, including but not limited to the assessment of welfare indicators, identification and quantification of stressors like environmental changes, aquaculture production operation, and disease outbreaks, as well as the physiological and behavioral responses of aquatic organisms to these stressors. It also explores cutting - edge strategies and technologies for welfare improvement and stress reduction, such as advanced water quality control systems, optimized farming densities, innovative feeding practices, nutritionally balanced feed, and smart aquaculture technologies, etc.

Moreover, this issue emphasizes the significance of interdisciplinary research, integrating insights from biology, ecology, engineering, and ethics. It aims to foster the development of sustainable and humane aquaculture practices that balance production efficiency with animal welfare, ensuring the long-term viability and ethical integrity of the aquaculture industry while safeguarding the health of aquatic ecosystems.

Dr. Kai Zhang
Prof. Guangjun Wang
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 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

  • aquatic animal welfare
  • sustainable aquaculture
  • physiological and behavioral responses
  • smart aquaculture technologies

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 3385 KB  
Article
Encapsulated Amazonian Microalgae Reduce Ammonia and Improve Survival of Female Poecilia reticulata During Simulated Transport
by Marianela Cobos, Marcos J. Guerra, Leonardo J. Pizarro, Gladys R. Panduro, Danitza E. Ampudia, Freddy O. Espinoza-Campos, Carlos G. Castro and Juan C. Castro
Fishes 2026, 11(6), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11060331 - 1 Jun 2026
Viewed by 1297
Abstract
The accumulation of un-ionized ammonia (NH3) during the transport of live ornamental fish poses a critical threat to animal welfare and post-transport survival. This study evaluated the efficacy of calcium alginate-encapsulated native Amazonian microalgae, Ankistrodesmus sp., Chlorella sp., Scenedesmus sp., and [...] Read more.
The accumulation of un-ionized ammonia (NH3) during the transport of live ornamental fish poses a critical threat to animal welfare and post-transport survival. This study evaluated the efficacy of calcium alginate-encapsulated native Amazonian microalgae, Ankistrodesmus sp., Chlorella sp., Scenedesmus sp., and Synechococcus sp., for NH3 bioremediation during a 15-day simulated transport of female Poecilia reticulata. Biometric endpoints were selected using a four-criterion framework, identifying specific growth rate by weight (SGRW), specific growth rate by length (SGRL), and Fulton’s condition factor (K) as essential non-redundant parameters. Time-weighted average (TWA) NH3 served as the primary dose variable for four-parameter log-logistic modeling fitted to biological replicate means (n = 15). Ankistrodesmus sp. and Scenedesmus sp. maintained 97.8% survival and restricted TWA NH3 to 0.036 and 0.047 mg/L, respectively, whereas the empty capsule control reached 6.7% survival and 0.150 mg/L TWA NH3. Kruskal–Wallis tests on biological replicate means confirmed significant treatment effects on all biometric endpoints (SGRW: H(4) = 13.50, ε2 = 0.950; SGRL: H(4) = 13.50, ε2 = 0.95; p < 0.01). Chronic EC50 values of 0.10505 mg/L NH3 (SGRW; Adj-R2 = 0.828) and 0.09967 mg/L NH3 (SGRL; Adj-R2 = 0.812) were established, representing approximately 7.8% and 7.4% of the female-specific acute LC50 (1.34 mg/L NH3), respectively, yielding chronic-to-acute ratios of approximately 13 for both growth endpoints and confirming that sublethal growth impairment precedes lethality. Partial disruption of the calcium alginate capsule matrix was observed from day 5 onward; the relative contributions of encapsulated and free-cell fractions were not quantified. Under the experimental conditions tested, 15-day simulated transport of female P. reticulata under controlled illumination and without feeding, calcium alginate-encapsulated Ankistrodesmus sp. and Scenedesmus sp. treatments represent effective, scalable, and residue-free alternatives to chemical ammonium neutralization for comparable ornamental fish transport scenarios; extension to dark commercial air transport or other species requires further experimental validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Welfare and Stressor in Aquaculture: Mechanisms, Management, and Sustainable Solutions)
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20 pages, 4258 KB  
Article
Impact of Stress Coping Styles on Serum Protein Electrophoresis Pattern Modulation in Sparus aurata Following Vibrio anguillarum Inoculation
by Mariele Staropoli, Mariano Dara, Irene Vazzana, Pierluigi Carbonara, Claudia La Corte, Luca Bisanti, Federica Bertini, Lucia Therese Marcianò, Daniela Parrinello, Maria Giovanna Parisi and Matteo Cammarata
Fishes 2026, 11(1), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11010070 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 717
Abstract
Stress coping style (SCS) is crucial for animal welfare in the context of breeding. The link between behavioural traits and physiological responses to external stimuli is increasingly recognized and could orient the selection of appropriate SCSs for welfare-oriented breeding. This study aimed to [...] Read more.
Stress coping style (SCS) is crucial for animal welfare in the context of breeding. The link between behavioural traits and physiological responses to external stimuli is increasingly recognized and could orient the selection of appropriate SCSs for welfare-oriented breeding. This study aimed to evaluate how SCS influences the physiological responses of Sparus aurata, a widely used species in aquaculture, following Vibrio anguillarum stimulation. To this end, the serum protein electrophoretic profile, analysed by capillary electrophoresis, was used as an innovative parameter to assess physiological variations. S. aurata individuals were categorized into three SCS groups—bold, shy, and intermediate —based on a risk-taking test. Serum was collected at day 0 (pre-inactivated V. anguillarum inoculation) and at 30 and 60 days post-inoculation. Analyses revealed an increase in the β2-globulin fraction, putatively associated with molecules involved in the physiological response following inactivated pathogen inoculation, accompanied by a decrease in the γ fraction over time. This trend was particularly pronounced in bold fish, while shy ones showed a similar but less marked pattern. Overall, the results suggest that proactive individuals exhibit a more marked physiological modulation to inactivated pathogen stimulation than reactive ones, highlighting modulation of serum protein electrophoresis as a sensitive bioindicator of physiological response in S. aurata. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Welfare and Stressor in Aquaculture: Mechanisms, Management, and Sustainable Solutions)
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