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Fishes
Special Issues
Effects of Dietary Ingredients on Fish Nutrition and Health
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Effects of Dietary Ingredients on Fish Nutrition and Health

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 September 2026 | Viewed by 1974

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jorge Palma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Ciências do Mar do Algarve (CCMAR), Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: syngnathids; seahorses; ecology; conservation; aquaculture; fish husbandry; fish nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As global aquaculture continues to expand, the development of sustainable and functional feeds has become essential for promoting fish growth, health, and welfare, while also minimizing environmental impacts. This Special Issue invites contributions addressing a broad range of topics related to feed innovation, including the evaluation of alternative protein and lipid sources; the use of functional additives such as prebiotics, probiotics, phytogenics; and the role of micronutrients in enhancing immune function and stress resilience. These components are closely tied to key nutritional aspects such as ingredient digestibility and nutrient bioavailability, which are fundamental to designing effective, species-specific feed formulations. In particular, studies that examine how dietary components affect gut microbiota composition, metabolic pathways, and disease resistance are highly encouraged, as they shed light on the biological mechanisms that support fish health. By integrating advancements in nutritional science, aquaculture technology, and health monitoring, this Special Issue aims to present robust evidence for the formulation of balanced diets that align with species-specific nutritional needs and production objectives. Research in this area is crucial for improving feed efficiency, reducing the environmental footprint of aquaculture operations, and fostering the health and resilience of farmed fish populations.

Dr. Jorge Palma
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. 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

  • fish nutrition
  • functional feeds
  • alternative protein sources
  • alternative nutritional sources
  • gut microbiota
  • immune function
  • nutrient bioavailability
  • feed efficiency
  • fish health
  • sustainable aquaculture

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 700 KB  
Article
Effects of Fishmeal Substitution with House Cricket Meal (Acheta domesticus) on Productive Performance and Nutrient Metabolism of Blue Tilapia (Oreochromis aureus)
by Aldo Fraijo-Valenzuela, Joe Luis Arias-Moscoso, Francisco Cadena-Cadena, Barbara Aboites-Martínez, Ramón Casillas-Hernández, Libia Zulema Rodriguez-Anaya, Pablo Gortáres-Moroyoqui and Jose Reyes Gonzalez-Galaviz
Fishes 2026, 11(5), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11050254 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 313
Abstract
A 10-week feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing fishmeal with cricket meal on the productive performance and transcriptional responses of genes related to nutrient metabolism and growth of blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus). Five conventional tilapia feeds were [...] Read more.
A 10-week feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing fishmeal with cricket meal on the productive performance and transcriptional responses of genes related to nutrient metabolism and growth of blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus). Five conventional tilapia feeds were formulated to replace fishmeal with cricket meal. Control diet (CD) was formulated with 20% fishmeal, and four diets gradually replaced fishmeal with cricket meal at 20, 40, 60, and 80% (D1–D4). A total of 200 fingerling tilapia (2.00 ± 0.09 g) were randomly distributed into 20 tanks (10 fish/tank), with four replicates per dietary treatment. The results showed that fish fed CD and D1 had higher growth performance values than those fed D2–D4. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly better in fish fed CD and D1 compared with fish fed D2–D4. The survival rate was similar for all treatments. The transcriptional response of genes related to nutrient digestion, absorption, and transport; lipid metabolism; and the somatotropic axis was marked downregulated in fish fed D2 and D4, whereas in fish fed D3, it exhibited a unique compensatory regulation across most pathways, likely sustained by its higher dietary lipid content. Although cricket meal did not prevent the metabolic effects associated with high soybean meal inclusion, survival remained high across all treatments. Cricket meal can replace up to 20% of the fishmeal in the feed for blue tilapia fingerlings, with soybean meal as the main protein source. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Ingredients on Fish Nutrition and Health)
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12 pages, 1284 KB  
Article
Effects of Dietary L-Carnitine on the Growth Performance, Hepatic Lipid Deposition and Fatty Acid β-Oxidation in Tiger Puffer (Takifugu rubripes) Fed with High-Fat Diets
by Chenchen Bian, Zhangbin Liao, Jiahao Liu, Weidong Li, Qiang Ma, Yuliang Wei, Mengqing Liang and Houguo Xu
Fishes 2026, 11(3), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11030136 - 26 Feb 2026
Viewed by 515
Abstract
This study was conducted to explore the impacts of L-carnitine (CAR) on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, hepatic lipid deposition and fatty acid β-oxidation in farmed fish fed a high-fat diet (HFD). A total of 150 juvenile tiger puffer (15.23 ± 0.01 g) were [...] Read more.
This study was conducted to explore the impacts of L-carnitine (CAR) on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, hepatic lipid deposition and fatty acid β-oxidation in farmed fish fed a high-fat diet (HFD). A total of 150 juvenile tiger puffer (15.23 ± 0.01 g) were randomly assigned into six tanks (three tanks each group) and fed with a control diet (HFD, 16% lipid) and a HFD supplemented with 1.5% CAR for eight weeks, respectively. The results indicated that the growth performance and the most proximate compositions were not influenced by dietary CAR. However, compared to the control group, the hepatosomatic index and crude lipid content in the liver were significantly reduced in the CAR group, indicating that CAR performed a lipid-lowering effect in tiger puffer. Serum lipid profiles remained stable, implying that the cholesterol metabolism was not influenced by dietary CAR. Furthermore, dietary CAR activated fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) in both the mitochondria and peroxisomes and drove lipolysis and fatty acid intracellular transport to supply sufficient substrates for FAO, manifested by the activation of related genes, proteins and enzyme activity. Additionally, CAR lowered hepatic MDA levels, indicating improved antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, CAR shows potential as a lipid-lowering feed additive for marine fish under high-fat dietary conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Ingredients on Fish Nutrition and Health)
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19 pages, 657 KB  
Article
The Copepod/Artemia Trade-Off in the Culture of Long Snouted Seahorse Hippocampus guttulatus
by Jorge Palma, Ismael Hachero-Cruzado, Miguel Correia and José Pedro Andrade
Fishes 2026, 11(2), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11020072 - 23 Jan 2026
Viewed by 795
Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of copepod use and copepod conditioning strategies on the growth and survival of long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) juveniles from 1 to 60 days post-parturition (DPP). Four dietary treatments were tested: Artemia enriched for 24 h with [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the effects of copepod use and copepod conditioning strategies on the growth and survival of long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) juveniles from 1 to 60 days post-parturition (DPP). Four dietary treatments were tested: Artemia enriched for 24 h with Isochrysis galbana (control), daily collected copepods, copepods unfed for 48 h, and copepods enriched for 24 h with I. galbana. Juveniles fed copepod-based diets exhibited significantly higher growth and survival (p < 0.05) than those fed enriched Artemia. Mean standard length increased from 1.3 ± 0.1 cm at release to 5.9 ± 0.2, 7.5 ± 1.4, 7.1 ± 1.2, and 7.3 ± 1.1 cm at 60 DPP for the enriched Artemia, daily collected copepods, unfed copepods, and enriched copepods treatments, respectively. Wet weight increased from 0.002 ± 0.001 g to 0.44 ± 0.07, 0.81 ± 0.40, 0.68 ± 0.30, and 0.76 ± 0.40 g, while final survival reached 20%, 60%, 33.3%, and 56%, respectively. Compared with enriched Artemia, copepod-based diets markedly enhanced juvenile performance, supporting faster growth and promoting favorable behavioral traits that contributed to improved survival. These results demonstrate that copepods constitute a superior live feed for early juvenile H. guttulatus; however, copepod conditioning strategies directly influence their nutritional quality and, consequently, seahorse growth and survival. The use of copepods throughout the first 60 DPP is therefore not only feasible but strongly recommended for optimizing juvenile H. guttulatus rearing performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Ingredients on Fish Nutrition and Health)
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