Pub Date : 2025-12-20DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743572
Runqing Huang, Lin Liu, Siqi Qiu, Kun Ye, Zhuoyan Yin, Xiaoqing Zeng, Xinyue Chen, Xuechong Yan, Jiangyong Wang
To date, some larvae of economically important fish species such as grouper, seabass, and pompano have commonly been used as the infection animals for nervous necrosis virus (NNV) in research. However, the unstable supply of larvae has hindered progress in studying virus-host interactions. Although the larvae of zebrafish (Danio rerio) and medaka (Oryzias latipes) can be infected by NNV via immersion, adults of these species are not susceptible. In this study, we found that Oryzias pectoralis could be infected by NNV through both injection and immersion, indicating its sensitivity to this virus. Successful viral replication in the brain and retina of O. pectoralis was confirmed through RT-PCR, immunofluorescence assays, transmission electron microscopic observation, and virus re-isolation. The immersion infection route closely mimics natural transmission of NNV. O. pectoralis is a small freshwater fish and easily maintained under laboratory conditions. The establishment of an immersion-based NNV infection model in O. pectoralis provides a convenient and valuable system for investigating pathogenesis of NNV.
{"title":"Immersion-based infection model of nervous necrosis virus in Oryzias pectoralis","authors":"Runqing Huang, Lin Liu, Siqi Qiu, Kun Ye, Zhuoyan Yin, Xiaoqing Zeng, Xinyue Chen, Xuechong Yan, Jiangyong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743572","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743572","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To date, some larvae of economically important fish species such as grouper, seabass, and pompano have commonly been used as the infection animals for nervous necrosis virus (NNV) in research. However, the unstable supply of larvae has hindered progress in studying virus-host interactions. Although the larvae of zebrafish (<em>Danio rerio</em>) and medaka (<em>Oryzias latipes</em>) can be infected by NNV via immersion, adults of these species are not susceptible. In this study, we found that <em>Oryzias pectoralis</em> could be infected by NNV through both injection and immersion, indicating its sensitivity to this virus. Successful viral replication in the brain and retina of <em>O. pectoralis</em> was confirmed through RT-PCR, immunofluorescence assays, transmission electron microscopic observation, and virus re-isolation. The immersion infection route closely mimics natural transmission of NNV. <em>O. pectoralis</em> is a small freshwater fish and easily maintained under laboratory conditions. The establishment of an immersion-based NNV infection model in <em>O. pectoralis</em> provides a convenient and valuable system for investigating pathogenesis of NNV.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743572"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-20DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743556
Yi Zhang , Jianyong Wu , Yijing Wu , Jinbin Zheng , Zhaoxia Cui
Hemocytes phagocytosis is a critical component of crustaceans innate immunity, effectively eliminating pathogens. Spätzle is an extracellular ligand that activates the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway in invertebrates, yet its regulatory role in hemocytes phagocytosis remains unclear. In the present study, a novel spätzle (designated as PtSpz3) was identified from Portunus trituberculatus, and it harbored a typical spätzle domain characterized by the presence of eight conserved cysteine residues. Despite PtSpz3 was highly expressed in the hepatopancreas and gills under basal conditions, Vibrio alginolyticus challenge did not alter its expression in these tissues but instead induced its upregulation in hemocytes, where expression was originally low. The recombinant protein of PtSpz3 was capable of binding to pathogen-associated molecular patterns, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan (PGN). Molecular docking assay revealed that PtSpz3 interacted with LPS via ARG-169 and binds to PGN through ARG-146, GLN-166 and THR-167. Moreover, PtSpz3 promoted hemocytes phagocytosis and enhanced the expression of genes associated with phagosome formation and maturation. These findings will advance our understanding of the spätzle's role in modulating hemocytes phagocytosis in crustacean, supporting its future application in managing V. alginolyticus diseases in P. trituberculatus.
{"title":"Spätzle promotes hemocytes phagocytosis and phagocytosis-associated genes expression in Portunus trituberculatus","authors":"Yi Zhang , Jianyong Wu , Yijing Wu , Jinbin Zheng , Zhaoxia Cui","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743556","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743556","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hemocytes phagocytosis is a critical component of crustaceans innate immunity, effectively eliminating pathogens. Spätzle is an extracellular ligand that activates the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway in invertebrates, yet its regulatory role in hemocytes phagocytosis remains unclear. In the present study, a novel spätzle (designated as PtSpz3) was identified from <em>Portunus trituberculatus</em>, and it harbored a typical spätzle domain characterized by the presence of eight conserved cysteine residues. Despite PtSpz3 was highly expressed in the hepatopancreas and gills under basal conditions, <em>Vibrio alginolyticus</em> challenge did not alter its expression in these tissues but instead induced its upregulation in hemocytes, where expression was originally low. The recombinant protein of PtSpz3 was capable of binding to pathogen-associated molecular patterns, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan (PGN). Molecular docking assay revealed that PtSpz3 interacted with LPS via ARG-169 and binds to PGN through ARG-146, GLN-166 and THR-167. Moreover, PtSpz3 promoted hemocytes phagocytosis and enhanced the expression of genes associated with phagosome formation and maturation. These findings will advance our understanding of the spätzle's role in modulating hemocytes phagocytosis in crustacean, supporting its future application in managing <em>V. alginolyticus</em> diseases in <em>P</em>. <em>trituberculatus</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743556"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-20DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743578
J. Park , G.F. Difford , S.S. Horn , B. Dagnachew , H.K. Moghadam , B. Hillestad , P. Berg , A.K. Sonesson , J.P. Wold , N.K. Afseth
This study evaluates the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a high-throughput phenotyping tool for predicting fatty acid (FA) composition in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fillet muscle. A total of 33 FA traits, including individual and grouped saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), were analyzed from 613 samples using gas chromatography (GC) as the reference method. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) combined with Markov Blanket (MB) feature selection was applied to develop Raman-based prediction models on a subset of 100 samples. Genetic parameters were estimated to assess the relationship between directly measured FA traits and Raman-predicted values on 506 independent samples as a genetic validation. This study found that 17 of 33 traits exhibited strong genetic correlations (RG > 0.85) with directly measured GC values, supporting their potential for genetic selection. Individual FA prediction was more challenging for traits with low abundance or low heritability estimates of a given FA trait. In contrast, Raman-predicted eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) showed high genetic correlations with reference measurements (RG = 0.88), with a combined EPA + DHA trait achieving an even stronger correlation (RG = 0.97). Overall, these results demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy holds significant promise for large-scale phenotyping and genotyping of key FAs such as EPA and DHA in Atlantic salmon breeding programs. Future research should focus on improving data acquisition methods, including rapid full-fillet scanning, robotic integration, and through-skin measurements as potential approaches, along with advanced modeling strategies to maximize utility under commercial conditions.
{"title":"Genetic and phenotypic validation of Raman-predicted fatty acids in Atlantic Salmon: From grouped fatty acids to EPA and DHA","authors":"J. Park , G.F. Difford , S.S. Horn , B. Dagnachew , H.K. Moghadam , B. Hillestad , P. Berg , A.K. Sonesson , J.P. Wold , N.K. Afseth","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743578","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743578","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluates the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a high-throughput phenotyping tool for predicting fatty acid (FA) composition in Atlantic salmon (<em>Salmo salar</em>) fillet muscle. A total of 33 FA traits, including individual and grouped saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), were analyzed from 613 samples using gas chromatography (GC) as the reference method. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) combined with Markov Blanket (MB) feature selection was applied to develop Raman-based prediction models on a subset of 100 samples. Genetic parameters were estimated to assess the relationship between directly measured FA traits and Raman-predicted values on 506 independent samples as a genetic validation. This study found that 17 of 33 traits exhibited strong genetic correlations (R<sub>G</sub> > 0.85) with directly measured GC values, supporting their potential for genetic selection. Individual FA prediction was more challenging for traits with low abundance or low heritability estimates of a given FA trait. In contrast, Raman-predicted eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) showed high genetic correlations with reference measurements (R<sub>G</sub> = 0.88), with a combined EPA + DHA trait achieving an even stronger correlation (R<sub>G</sub> = 0.97). Overall, these results demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy holds significant promise for large-scale phenotyping and genotyping of key FAs such as EPA and DHA in Atlantic salmon breeding programs. Future research should focus on improving data acquisition methods, including rapid full-fillet scanning, robotic integration, and through-skin measurements as potential approaches, along with advanced modeling strategies to maximize utility under commercial conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743578"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743575
Jiaji Pan , Zehui Liu , Yili Dai , Wei Qin , Yu Tan , Luoyan Huang , Jun Xiao , Jianguo Su , Hao Feng
Since grass carp reovirus (GCRV) spreading poses great threats to many farmed carps and has resulted in tremendous economic losses, it is vital to analyze its spreading characteristics for the containment strategies optimization. In this work, GCRV transmission experiments were performed at 21, 25 and 29 °C. The Chinese rare minnow was adopted as the model animal and two different rearing densities were tested. The dynamic cumulative infections and infected deaths were utilized as transmission data for analysis. The data were collected in transmission experiments under the assistance of PCR, histology inspection and vision technology, due to the insufficient public available data. Thereafter, the collected data were used to quantitatively simulate the transmission process by an epidemic mathematical model SEIDR (susceptible-exposed-infected-dead-removed). The solution procedure of the model parameters with collected transmission data is improved with LSTM (Long-Short Term Memory) algorithm. The basic reproduction number R0 values of GCRV transmission in Chinese rare minnow populations were determined at 21, 25, and 29 °C at the high or low rearing densities. It was found that at 21 °C, the transmission was cut off in both high and low rearing groups. The determined R0 is less than 1 illustrating the entire fish population may develop to a disease-free status. For the high density group, the R0 at 29 °C is higher than 25 °C, demonstrating a higher transmission ability with a higher temperature. Reducing the density can reduce the R0 value and the reduction is more effective at 29 °C. The study provides a different approach to analyze the rapidity of this virus resulted disease outbreak. It can be further combined with immune studies to minimize substantial losses caused by GCRV.
由于草鱼呼肠孤病毒（GCRV）的传播对许多养殖鲤鱼造成了巨大的威胁，并造成了巨大的经济损失，分析其传播特征对于优化控制策略至关重要。在这项工作中，GCRV在21、25和29°C下进行了透射实验。以中国珍稀鲦鱼为模型动物，对两种饲养密度进行了试验。动态累积感染和感染死亡作为传播数据进行分析。由于公开资料不足，在PCR、组织学检查和视觉技术的辅助下，在传代实验中收集数据。然后，利用收集到的数据，通过流行病数学模型SEIDR（易感-暴露-感染-死亡-移除）定量模拟传播过程。采用LSTM （Long-Short Term Memory，长短期记忆）算法改进了模型参数的求解过程。在21℃、25℃和29℃的高、低饲养密度条件下，测定了中国珍稀鲦鱼种群GCRV传播的基本繁殖数R0值。结果发现，在21°C时，高饲养组和低饲养组的传播均被切断。测定的R0小于1，说明整个鱼群可能发展到无病状态。对于高密度组，29℃时的R0高于25℃，表明温度越高，传输能力越强。降低密度可以降低R0值，且在29℃时降低效果更好。该研究提供了一种不同的方法来分析这种病毒导致疾病爆发的速度。它可以进一步与免疫研究相结合，以尽量减少GCRV造成的重大损失。
{"title":"Experimental investigation of the dynamic grass carp reovirus transmission by an epidemic mathematical model","authors":"Jiaji Pan , Zehui Liu , Yili Dai , Wei Qin , Yu Tan , Luoyan Huang , Jun Xiao , Jianguo Su , Hao Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743575","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743575","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Since grass carp reovirus (GCRV) spreading poses great threats to many farmed carps and has resulted in tremendous economic losses, it is vital to analyze its spreading characteristics for the containment strategies optimization. In this work, GCRV transmission experiments were performed at 21, 25 and 29 °C. The Chinese rare minnow was adopted as the model animal and two different rearing densities were tested. The dynamic cumulative infections and infected deaths were utilized as transmission data for analysis. The data were collected in transmission experiments under the assistance of PCR, histology inspection and vision technology, due to the insufficient public available data. Thereafter, the collected data were used to quantitatively simulate the transmission process by an epidemic mathematical model SEIDR (susceptible-exposed-infected-dead-removed). The solution procedure of the model parameters with collected transmission data is improved with LSTM (Long-Short Term Memory) algorithm. The basic reproduction number <em>R</em><sub>0</sub> values of GCRV transmission in Chinese rare minnow populations were determined at 21, 25, and 29 °C at the high or low rearing densities. It was found that at 21 °C, the transmission was cut off in both high and low rearing groups. The determined <em>R</em><sub>0</sub> is less than 1 illustrating the entire fish population may develop to a disease-free status. For the high density group, the <em>R</em><sub>0</sub> at 29 °C is higher than 25 °C, demonstrating a higher transmission ability with a higher temperature. Reducing the density can reduce the <em>R</em><sub>0</sub> value and the reduction is more effective at 29 °C. The study provides a different approach to analyze the rapidity of this virus resulted disease outbreak. It can be further combined with immune studies to minimize substantial losses caused by GCRV.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743575"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743573
Yann Dorant , Kehau-Lani Feral , Cristian J. Monaco , Sophie Darinot-Thomas , Alain Lo Yat , Vaihiti Teaniniuraitemoana , Thomas Lemaitre , Jérémy Benhamou , Martin Debatis , Jérémy Le Luyer , Laurent Burgy , Julien Rouxel , Caline Basset , Matangi Moeroa , Guillaume Mitta , Thomas Camus
The harvest of sea cucumbers in the Indo-Pacific region has intensified due to growing international demand, resulting in overexploitation of wild stocks and an urgent need for improved management strategies. Holothuria fuscogilva, a highly prized sea cucumber species, has seen its wild populations decline due to overfishing, prompting international trade restrictions. While aquaculture could offer an alternative to meet the growing demand, we still lack basic information regarding the ideal rearing conditions that should optimize yields, especially during the juvenile period in grow-out systems. This study examines the effect of crucial culture parameters (i.e., rearing density and environmental conditions) on the growth performance of H. fuscogilva juveniles. We monitored the growth of hatchery-produced sea cucumbers reared during one year in sea pens deployed in contrasting lagoon habitats (sand vs. mud sand), and at three rearing densities (1, 5 or 10 ind.m−2). To investigate the role of environmental drivers on growth, we also described sediments characteristics (organic matter, chlorophyll-a and granulometry), and sediment-associated biodiversity using an environmental DNA (eDNA) approach. Overall, this study revealed that high rearing densities hinder juvenile growth, with the best growth observed at one individual per m2, corresponding to a critical biomass between 200 and 400 g.m−2, and stagnation at higher densities. Furthermore, metabarcoding data revealed that high stocking densities of H. fuscogilva are linked to diversity changes in sediment-associated communities, with some taxa showing substantial reductions in relative abundance. Ultimately, these taxa emerge as promising candidate indicators of growth and habitat monitoring for holothurian mariculture.
由于国际需求的增长，印度-太平洋地区海参的捕捞量增加，导致野生种群过度捕捞，迫切需要改进管理策略。fuscogilva是一种非常珍贵的海参物种，由于过度捕捞，其野生种群数量下降，促使国际贸易限制。虽然水产养殖可以提供一种替代方法来满足日益增长的需求，但我们仍然缺乏关于应该优化产量的理想饲养条件的基本信息，特别是在生长系统的幼鱼期。本研究探讨了关键培养参数（即饲养密度和环境条件）对fuscogilva幼鱼生长性能的影响。我们监测了在不同泻湖生境（沙与泥沙）和三种饲养密度（1、5或10 ind.m - 2）的海栏中饲养的孵化场生产的海参的生长情况。为了研究环境驱动因素对生长的作用，我们还使用环境DNA （eDNA）方法描述了沉积物特征（有机质、叶绿素-a和粒度）以及与沉积物相关的生物多样性。总体而言，本研究表明，较高的饲养密度会阻碍幼鱼的生长，在每平方米1个个体时生长最佳，对应的临界生物量在200至400 g m−2之间，而在较高的密度下则停滞不前。此外，元编码数据显示，高载畜密度与沉积物相关群落的多样性变化有关，一些分类群的相对丰度大幅下降。最终，这些分类群成为有希望的海鱼养殖生长和生境监测的候选指标。
{"title":"Rearing site characteristics and stocking density drive the growth performance of tropical sea cucumbers (Holothuria fuscogilva)","authors":"Yann Dorant , Kehau-Lani Feral , Cristian J. Monaco , Sophie Darinot-Thomas , Alain Lo Yat , Vaihiti Teaniniuraitemoana , Thomas Lemaitre , Jérémy Benhamou , Martin Debatis , Jérémy Le Luyer , Laurent Burgy , Julien Rouxel , Caline Basset , Matangi Moeroa , Guillaume Mitta , Thomas Camus","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743573","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743573","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The harvest of sea cucumbers in the Indo-Pacific region has intensified due to growing international demand, resulting in overexploitation of wild stocks and an urgent need for improved management strategies. <em>Holothuria fuscogilva</em>, a highly prized sea cucumber species, has seen its wild populations decline due to overfishing, prompting international trade restrictions. While aquaculture could offer an alternative to meet the growing demand, we still lack basic information regarding the ideal rearing conditions that should optimize yields, especially during the juvenile period in grow-out systems. This study examines the effect of crucial culture parameters (i.e., rearing density and environmental conditions) on the growth performance of <em>H. fuscogilva</em> juveniles. We monitored the growth of hatchery-produced sea cucumbers reared during one year in sea pens deployed in contrasting lagoon habitats (sand vs. mud sand), and at three rearing densities (1, 5 or 10 ind.m<sup>−2</sup>). To investigate the role of environmental drivers on growth, we also described sediments characteristics (organic matter, chlorophyll-<em>a</em> and granulometry), and sediment-associated biodiversity using an environmental DNA (eDNA) approach. Overall, this study revealed that high rearing densities hinder juvenile growth, with the best growth observed at one individual per m<sup>2</sup>, corresponding to a critical biomass between 200 and 400 g.m<sup>−2</sup>, and stagnation at higher densities. Furthermore, metabarcoding data revealed that high stocking densities of <em>H. fuscogilva</em> are linked to diversity changes in sediment-associated communities, with some taxa showing substantial reductions in relative abundance. Ultimately, these taxa emerge as promising candidate indicators of growth and habitat monitoring for holothurian mariculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743573"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743549
Yaowen Meng , Zhaoji Pan , Jinzhao He , Shengping Zhong , Xinming Liu , Shunli Mi , Hui Wang , Guoqing Deng , Langduorijie Cai , Guoqiang Huang , Chenghai Gao , Lianghua Huang
The lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus), an endangered species listed under CITES Appendix II, encounters critical bottlenecks in juvenile rearing due to its agastric digestive tract, tubular snout structure, and vertical feeding posture. Identifying suitable initial live prey that meets the specific physiological needs is crucial for mitigating these challenges in juvenile seahorse aquaculture. This study systematically evaluated the effects of AN (Artemia nauplii), CO (copepods), and their combinations at different ratios (2:1, MX1; 1:2, MX2) on the growth performance, weaning success (WS), immune-digestive enzyme activities, and intestinal health in H. erectus. Results demonstrated that the MX2 combined diet exhibited significantly higher survival rate (82.41 %), WS (95.28 %), specific weight growth rate (SGRW, 6.27 ± 0.04 %·d−1), and final body weight (574.9 mg) compared to single-prey diets. Enzyme activity analysis revealed significantly enhanced antioxidant capacity (catalase (CAT), 10.91 U/mg prot) and digestive enzyme activity (protease (PG), 590.55 U/mg prot) in the MX2 group. Histological examination discerned more structurally intact intestinal tissues with increased epithelial folds in both MX1 and MX2 groups. Furthermore, villus height (171.36 μm) was notably higher in the MX2 group than in single-prey groups. The MX2 diet enriched beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus spp., 12.55 %), suppressed potential pathogens, and maintained higher microbial diversity and metabolic functionality. Overall, the MX2 composite diet markedly improved juvenile survival and growth performance during the early feeding stage, along with digestive capacity, while optimizing intestinal structure and microbiota composition through nutritional synergism. These findings provide novel insights into a multidimensional “nutrition-microbiota-immunity” regulatory framework for efficient H. erectus aquaculture.
{"title":"Effects of live prey on growth performance, immune and digestive enzyme activities, and intestinal health in juvenile lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus)","authors":"Yaowen Meng , Zhaoji Pan , Jinzhao He , Shengping Zhong , Xinming Liu , Shunli Mi , Hui Wang , Guoqing Deng , Langduorijie Cai , Guoqiang Huang , Chenghai Gao , Lianghua Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743549","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743549","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The lined seahorse (<em>Hippocampus erectus</em>), an endangered species listed under CITES Appendix II, encounters critical bottlenecks in juvenile rearing due to its agastric digestive tract, tubular snout structure, and vertical feeding posture. Identifying suitable initial live prey that meets the specific physiological needs is crucial for mitigating these challenges in juvenile seahorse aquaculture. This study systematically evaluated the effects of AN (<em>Artemia nauplii</em>), CO (copepods), and their combinations at different ratios (2:1, MX1; 1:2, MX2) on the growth performance, weaning success (WS), immune-digestive enzyme activities, and intestinal health in <em>H. erectus</em>. Results demonstrated that the MX2 combined diet exhibited significantly higher survival rate (82.41 %), WS (95.28 %), specific weight growth rate (SGRW, 6.27 ± 0.04 %·d<sup>−1</sup>), and final body weight (574.9 mg) compared to single-prey diets. Enzyme activity analysis revealed significantly enhanced antioxidant capacity (catalase (CAT), 10.91 U/mg prot) and digestive enzyme activity (protease (PG), 590.55 U/mg prot) in the MX2 group. Histological examination discerned more structurally intact intestinal tissues with increased epithelial folds in both MX1 and MX2 groups. Furthermore, villus height (171.36 μm) was notably higher in the MX2 group than in single-prey groups. The MX2 diet enriched beneficial bacteria (<em>Lactobacillus</em> spp., 12.55 %), suppressed potential pathogens, and maintained higher microbial diversity and metabolic functionality. Overall, the MX2 composite diet markedly improved juvenile survival and growth performance during the early feeding stage, along with digestive capacity, while optimizing intestinal structure and microbiota composition through nutritional synergism. These findings provide novel insights into a multidimensional “nutrition-microbiota-immunity” regulatory framework for efficient <em>H. erectus</em> aquaculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743549"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743565
Xingbing Wu , Yan Zhao , Tingbing Zhu, Xiaoli Li, Nian Wei, Zihao Meng, Miao Xiang, Xuemei Li
The bronze gudgeon (Coreius heterodon), an endemic species of the Yangtze River, has experienced significant population declines due to anthropogenic pressures. To support its conservation and genetic improvement, we assembled a high-quality chromosome-level genome using PacBio HiFi and BGI T7 short-read sequencing. The assembled genome spans 1.07 Gb with 25 chromosomes, a heterozygosity rate of 0.35 %, a repeat content of 57.09 %, and a GC content of 38.7 %. Gene family analysis identified 147 expanded families enriched in signal transduction and immune-related pathways. Genome-wide scans for positive selection revealed genes involved in DNA replication and repair, including fancl, ercc4, and mlh1. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) based on 90 individuals identified 3278 sex-associated SNPs, primarily clustered within a 1.51 Mb region on chromosome 4. Within this region, the candidate gene nf7, encoding a TRIM family E3 ubiquitin ligase, was identified, suggesting a role in sex determination. Genotype patterns and marker validation support a female-heterogametic (ZW/ZZ) system in C. heterodon. These findings provide a valuable genomic framework for future research on sex control, adaptive evolution, and the conservation of C. heterodon.
{"title":"Chromosome-level genome assembly and female-specific SNP marker identification of the Yangtze endemic bronze gudgeon (Coreius heterodon) with focus on conservation applications","authors":"Xingbing Wu , Yan Zhao , Tingbing Zhu, Xiaoli Li, Nian Wei, Zihao Meng, Miao Xiang, Xuemei Li","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743565","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743565","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The bronze gudgeon (<em>Coreius heterodon</em>), an endemic species of the Yangtze River, has experienced significant population declines due to anthropogenic pressures. To support its conservation and genetic improvement, we assembled a high-quality chromosome-level genome using PacBio HiFi and BGI T7 short-read sequencing. The assembled genome spans 1.07 Gb with 25 chromosomes, a heterozygosity rate of 0.35 %, a repeat content of 57.09 %, and a GC content of 38.7 %. Gene family analysis identified 147 expanded families enriched in signal transduction and immune-related pathways. Genome-wide scans for positive selection revealed genes involved in DNA replication and repair, including <em>fancl</em>, <em>ercc4</em>, and <em>mlh1</em>. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) based on 90 individuals identified 3278 sex-associated SNPs, primarily clustered within a 1.51 Mb region on chromosome 4. Within this region, the candidate gene <em>nf7</em>, encoding a TRIM family E3 ubiquitin ligase, was identified, suggesting a role in sex determination. Genotype patterns and marker validation support a female-heterogametic (ZW/ZZ) system in <em>C. heterodon</em>. These findings provide a valuable genomic framework for future research on sex control, adaptive evolution, and the conservation of <em>C. heterodon</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743565"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743570
Ziyan Liu, Ruyue Sun, Yang Yu, Jiaqi Li, Tiansheng Zhu, Meiqing Li, Caiyun Sun, Wensheng Li
Intensive aquaculture often leads to ammonia accumulation, which impairs growth and immune function in farmed fish such as tilapia. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a multifunctional peptide with appetite-stimulating, antioxidant, and immunoregulatory properties. This study explored NPY expression and function in genetically improved farmed tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, GIFT). The 300 bp npy gene encoding 99 amino acids was cloned from GIFT hypothalamic cDNA. Initial expression in Bacillus subtilis failed, but codon optimization (CAI: 0.86 → 0.99; GC: 52.3 % → 60.5 %) enabled successful recombinant tilapia NPY (rtNPY) expression. Optimized fermentation (pH 8.0, 37 °C, 0.5 mM IPTG, 12 h) yielded 27.14 mg/L rtNPY, which was purified and confirmed by LC-MS. Structural modeling showed conserved α-helix conformation, and binding to the Y8b receptor was similar to native NPY (ΔG: −13.3 vs. –13.1 kcal/mol). Dual-luciferase assays confirmed bioactivity. In vivo, rtNPY and synthetic NPY (sNPY) modulated intestinal gene expression (npy, y7, y8b, p53, caspase 3, and caspase 7), and rtNPY significantly improved GIFT survival under ammonia stress to 60 % at 96 h (versus 25 % in PBS). These results suggest that rtNPY retains native structure and bioactivity, providing preliminary evidence that it could be further explored for potential roles in stress mitigation in aquaculture.
{"title":"Recombinant expression and identification of tilapia neuropeptide Y in Bacillus subtilis and its protective potential against ammonia stress","authors":"Ziyan Liu, Ruyue Sun, Yang Yu, Jiaqi Li, Tiansheng Zhu, Meiqing Li, Caiyun Sun, Wensheng Li","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743570","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743570","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensive aquaculture often leads to ammonia accumulation, which impairs growth and immune function in farmed fish such as tilapia. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a multifunctional peptide with appetite-stimulating, antioxidant, and immunoregulatory properties. This study explored NPY expression and function in genetically improved farmed tilapia (<em>Oreochromis niloticus</em>, GIFT). The 300 bp npy gene encoding 99 amino acids was cloned from GIFT hypothalamic cDNA. Initial expression in <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> failed, but codon optimization (CAI: 0.86 → 0.99; GC: 52.3 % → 60.5 %) enabled successful recombinant tilapia NPY (rtNPY) expression. Optimized fermentation (pH 8.0, 37 °C, 0.5 mM IPTG, 12 h) yielded 27.14 mg/L rtNPY, which was purified and confirmed by LC-MS. Structural modeling showed conserved α-helix conformation, and binding to the Y8b receptor was similar to native NPY (ΔG: −13.3 vs. –13.1 kcal/mol). Dual-luciferase assays confirmed bioactivity. In vivo, rtNPY and synthetic NPY (sNPY) modulated intestinal gene expression (<em>npy</em>, <em>y7</em>, <em>y8b</em>, <em>p53</em>, <em>caspase 3</em>, and <em>caspase 7</em>), and rtNPY significantly improved GIFT survival under ammonia stress to 60 % at 96 h (versus 25 % in PBS). These results suggest that rtNPY retains native structure and bioactivity, providing preliminary evidence that it could be further explored for potential roles in stress mitigation in aquaculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743570"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743555
Jinhuai Ni , Sunzhaocong Lan , Yang Gao , Xiaolong Yin , Kai Zong , Jianpeng Lu , Xu Yang , Fukun Gui , Xunmeng Li , Dejun Feng
During the ascent process of offshore submersible cages, decompression caused by rapid changes in water depth can induce severe stress responses, even leading to the death of closed-gill fish species, thus becoming a major bottleneck limiting aquaculture productivity. This study, using Larimichthys crocea as the experimental subject, established a pressure simulation system to evaluate the effects the effects of different decompression rates and pressure-holding strategies on their behavior, physiological responses, and mortality. Three-phase simulated experiment was designed, including constant-rate decompression at various speeds, staged decompression with pause strategies, and rapid decompression tolerance tests to determine the upper limits of physiological tolerance. The behavioral responses, physiological states, and survival of L. crocea were comprehensively evaluated throughout the decompression process. The results are as follows: In the constant decompression rate group (10 kPa/min), L. crocea exhibited the most stable behavior, with an average instantaneous swimming speed of 0.028 m/s, probing frequency of 18 times/min, and tail beat frequency of 1.61 times/s. In the gradient decompression group with a fixed rate of 10 kPa/min, decompression was paused for 5 min at 50 kPa before continuing. L. crocea demonstrated the strongest pressure adaptation ability. Their average instantaneous swimming speed decreased from 0.085 m/s to 0.037 m/s, probing frequency dropped from 31.11 to 1 time/min, and tail beat frequency fell from 1.56 to 0.52 times/s. During the pause, over half of the fish recovered from the stress response, which were not observed in other experimental groups. In the rapid decompression tolerance group with a fixed pressure of 50 kPa and a 5-min pause at a decompression rate of 20 kPa/min, only a few fish showed recovery from the stress response. Their average instantaneous swimming speed decreased from 0.038 m/s to 0.018 m/s, probing frequency dropped from 26.25 to 13.80 times/min, and tail beat frequency decreased from 1.54 to 1.09 times/s. The 72-h survival rate was 89 %, in contrast to the 56 % survival rate in the 13 kPa/min constant decompression group with the same total decompression duration. The total bubble area in the posterior vein was 11,420.72 μm2 in the 20 kPa/min group, while the 30 kPa/min group had a bubble area of 20,477.80 μm2 and a survival rate of only 56 %, indicating that it exceeded the physiological tolerance limit. In conclusion, 2 m/min ascent speed with a pressure pause at 5-m depth represents the optimal strategy for balancing efficiency and fish health in submersible cages. This study provides scientific parameters and operational guidelines for the deep-sea L. crocea farming.
{"title":"Assessing the behavior of Larimichthys crocea during the ascent process of the offshore submersible cage","authors":"Jinhuai Ni , Sunzhaocong Lan , Yang Gao , Xiaolong Yin , Kai Zong , Jianpeng Lu , Xu Yang , Fukun Gui , Xunmeng Li , Dejun Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743555","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743555","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the ascent process of offshore submersible cages, decompression caused by rapid changes in water depth can induce severe stress responses, even leading to the death of closed-gill fish species, thus becoming a major bottleneck limiting aquaculture productivity. This study, using <em>Larimichthys crocea</em> as the experimental subject, established a pressure simulation system to evaluate the effects the effects of different decompression rates and pressure-holding strategies on their behavior, physiological responses, and mortality. Three-phase simulated experiment was designed, including constant-rate decompression at various speeds, staged decompression with pause strategies, and rapid decompression tolerance tests to determine the upper limits of physiological tolerance. The behavioral responses, physiological states, and survival of <em>L. crocea</em> were comprehensively evaluated throughout the decompression process. The results are as follows: In the constant decompression rate group (10 kPa/min), <em>L. crocea</em> exhibited the most stable behavior, with an average instantaneous swimming speed of 0.028 m/s, probing frequency of 18 times/min, and tail beat frequency of 1.61 times/s. In the gradient decompression group with a fixed rate of 10 kPa/min, decompression was paused for 5 min at 50 kPa before continuing. <em>L. crocea</em> demonstrated the strongest pressure adaptation ability. Their average instantaneous swimming speed decreased from 0.085 m/s to 0.037 m/s, probing frequency dropped from 31.11 to 1 time/min, and tail beat frequency fell from 1.56 to 0.52 times/s. During the pause, over half of the fish recovered from the stress response, which were not observed in other experimental groups. In the rapid decompression tolerance group with a fixed pressure of 50 kPa and a 5-min pause at a decompression rate of 20 kPa/min, only a few fish showed recovery from the stress response. Their average instantaneous swimming speed decreased from 0.038 m/s to 0.018 m/s, probing frequency dropped from 26.25 to 13.80 times/min, and tail beat frequency decreased from 1.54 to 1.09 times/s. The 72-h survival rate was 89 %, in contrast to the 56 % survival rate in the 13 kPa/min constant decompression group with the same total decompression duration. The total bubble area in the posterior vein was 11,420.72 μm<sup>2</sup> in the 20 kPa/min group, while the 30 kPa/min group had a bubble area of 20,477.80 μm<sup>2</sup> and a survival rate of only 56 %, indicating that it exceeded the physiological tolerance limit. In conclusion, 2 m/min ascent speed with a pressure pause at 5-m depth represents the optimal strategy for balancing efficiency and fish health in submersible cages. This study provides scientific parameters and operational guidelines for the deep-sea <em>L. crocea</em> farming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743555"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743568
Bela Klimesova , Katie O'Dwyer , Jack D'Arcy , Anita Talbot , Olga Lyashevska , Hamish Rodger , Catherine McManus , Neil M. Ruane
Sea lice, ectoparasites of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), are considered one of the main limiting factors for Atlantic salmon aquaculture. To ensure low infection levels and effective treatments, a wide range of management strategies are in place, integral to which is a monitoring programme. Treatment trigger levels set within each monitoring programme represent the threshold in sea lice infection that triggers a treatment to reduce and maintain low sea lice abundance levels. This study investigated sea lice infection metrics on Atlantic salmon farms in Ireland and the effect of treatment trigger levels on the accuracy of reported sea lice counts. A linear relationship between sea lice abundance and prevalence was observed up to prevalence levels of ∼40 %. Although using prevalence for reporting would be beneficial in cases of low infection levels and as a resource-efficient approach, reporting both abundance and prevalence is more informative. Reporting and targeting total adult female sea lice instead of ovigerous females for treatment trigger levels in Ireland would lead to better comparability of infection levels between countries. Although previous studies described under-reporting in the monitoring performed by the industry's producers, this bias has not been observed in the sea lice abundance data in Ireland. Lastly, no discrepancies of reported counts around treatment trigger levels were detected indicating that treatment trigger levels have no negative impact on the accuracy of reporting. Accurate estimation of sea lice population levels on salmon farms is needed for effective management including triggering sea lice treatments.
{"title":"Assessing Sea lice infection levels in Irish Atlantic salmon farms: Metrics and treatment trigger levels","authors":"Bela Klimesova , Katie O'Dwyer , Jack D'Arcy , Anita Talbot , Olga Lyashevska , Hamish Rodger , Catherine McManus , Neil M. Ruane","doi":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sea lice, ectoparasites of Atlantic salmon (<em>Salmo salar</em>), are considered one of the main limiting factors for Atlantic salmon aquaculture. To ensure low infection levels and effective treatments, a wide range of management strategies are in place, integral to which is a monitoring programme. Treatment trigger levels set within each monitoring programme represent the threshold in sea lice infection that triggers a treatment to reduce and maintain low sea lice abundance levels. This study investigated sea lice infection metrics on Atlantic salmon farms in Ireland and the effect of treatment trigger levels on the accuracy of reported sea lice counts. A linear relationship between sea lice abundance and prevalence was observed up to prevalence levels of ∼40 %. Although using prevalence for reporting would be beneficial in cases of low infection levels and as a resource-efficient approach, reporting both abundance and prevalence is more informative. Reporting and targeting total adult female sea lice instead of ovigerous females for treatment trigger levels in Ireland would lead to better comparability of infection levels between countries. Although previous studies described under-reporting in the monitoring performed by the industry's producers, this bias has not been observed in the sea lice abundance data in Ireland. Lastly, no discrepancies of reported counts around treatment trigger levels were detected indicating that treatment trigger levels have no negative impact on the accuracy of reporting. Accurate estimation of sea lice population levels on salmon farms is needed for effective management including triggering sea lice treatments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8375,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture","volume":"614 ","pages":"Article 743568"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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