Sustainable Bivalve Mollusks Aquaculture

Dear Colleagues,

Global human population growth is driving a rising demand for high-quality protein, which has in turn stimulated an explosive expansion of aquaculture, especially of mollusks, with bivalves as a major focus. However, the sustainable development of aquaculture is constrained by diverse environmental and farming-related stressors. Stress is a key factor shaping survival, growth, immune competence, habitat shifts, biological invasions, the erosion of population genetic characteristics, and reproduction in aquatic animals. Environmental change imposes stress on mollusks and triggers cascades of molecular and physiological responses. Many of these inducible responses have been retained in mollusks through environmental adaptation. Integrative studies that aim to elucidate the evolution and function of these complex mechanisms will not only deepen our understanding of malacology, but also provide important insights for optimizing selective breeding programs, improving environmental management in mollusk aquaculture, and supporting global fishery conservation.

To better understand how organisms respond to environmental stress, physiological and cellular investigations using diverse molluscan species—particularly economically important species—are essential. This Special Issue highlights the physiological and molecular responses of mollusks, especially bivalves, to biotic and abiotic stressors. We welcome submissions in the form of original research articles, reviews, and mini-reviews.

Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following: (1) physiological changes and adaptive processes under stress and habitat change; (2) surveys of geographic population genetic resources; (3) metabolic adaptation under environmental stress; (4) omics analyses of mollusks; (5) molluscan diseases and aquaculture case studies; (6) responses and adaptations to climate change; (7) effects of stress on reproduction; (8) impacts of ecological change and pollution on mollusk aquaculture health.

Dr. Maoxiao Peng
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.