ABSTRACT In aquaculture ecosystems, the accumulation of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) poses an increasing threat to the health, disease resistance, and productivity of farmed species. Ferroptosis, an iron‐dependent cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, offers a new perspective for elucidating the toxicity mechanisms of MNPs. Understanding this mechanism is particularly critical for assessing and mitigating the health risks of MNPs in aquaculture. This paper provides a critical review of recent progress on MNPs‐induced ferroptosis. Mechanistically, MNPs trigger ferroptosis by inducing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, disrupting iron homeostasis, inhibiting the GPX4 antioxidant system, and regulating signaling pathways such as Nrf2 and p53/Fosl1. Nanoscale particles may act primarily via endocytosis and intracellular interactions to induce ferroptosis, whereas microscale particles exert effects mainly through surface interactions, mechanical stress, and metabolic disruption, yet the outcome is also modulated by polymer type, surface charge, shape, aging, and protein corona formation. At the organ level, MNPs‐induced ferroptosis is associated with damage to the intestine, gonads, liver, cardiovascular system, nervous system, gills, and immune organs, and is amplified by co‐exposure with heavy metals and organic pollutants. For aquaculture practice, molecular markers such as MDA, GSH, and GPX4 can serve as tiered early warning indicators, with intensive pond and cage culture systems facing the highest risk. Feasible interventions include dietary antioxidant supplementation, water treatment, feed quality control, and regular replacement of aged plastic infrastructure. This review provides a theoretical basis for assessing MNPs health risks and developing practical management strategies for sustainable aquaculture.
ABSTRACT Based on the introduced founder sporophytes, a set of S. japonica varieties and a few hybrid kelp have been bred and intensively cultivated in China. The cultivation of S. japonica has been running up against the impasse of germplasm degeneration characterized by low growth performance, degrading disease resistance, and weak stress tolerance among others. Diverse causes, mainly the deprivation of competition and stress experience among gametophytes, eggs, sperms, and young sporophytes and the absence of stress memory, may underline such degeneration. The causes also include the intermixture, narrow genetic background, deficiencies of elite alleles, favorite haplotypes and best genomic phases, high propagation and mutation rates, and various reproduction strategies. Paving the ways out of such impasse of kelp (refers exclusively to S. japonica in this review) cultivation industry will be highly appreciated. The possible causes of kelp germplasm degeneration were summarized, and the seeable, feasible, and applicable ways out were proposed in this review. Besides introducing new genetic variations during genetic improvement and breeding elite varieties, the agronomic performance of available kelp varieties can be maintained through the intensive selection of parental sporophytes with desirable measurable traits from the cultivating population for seedling raising. Their performance can also be improved by priming the parental gametophytes of hybrid kelp and young sporophyte seedlings of both normal varieties and hybrid kelp with the stresses ever met or might bump into during cultivation. Such a strategy may also be applicable for many other aquacultured species.
ABSTRACT Increasing consumer demand for fresh and nutritious food has contributed to the expansion of fresh food from aquaculture and live fish market particularly in Asian countries. However, fish undergo stress during live transportation due to the deterioration of water quality, temperature fluctuations, and excessive densities, and so forth. As the live fish transportation directly affects fish welfare and economic efficiency, developing efficient and appropriate transport strategies has become a critical focus in aquaculture research. This paper synthesizes the major stressors associated with live fish transport, including temperature, water quality, and density. It further explores the physiological and biochemical responses induced by transport stress, such as oxidative stress, immune suppression, and tissue damage. Additionally, current mitigation strategies are reviewed from multiple perspectives, such as selective genetic breeding, dietary supplementation, water quality optimization, waterless transport, and anesthetic‐assisted handling. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive reference for understanding and managing stress during live fish transport and offers a theoretical foundation for improving fish welfare and promoting the sustainable development of aquaculture logistics.
ABSTRACT The composition of fish gut microbiota has direct implications for aquaculture productivity as alterations in these microbes profoundly affect several physiological functions of the fish. Nowadays, aquaculture feeding strategies increasingly shift from animal‐derived diets toward more sustainable plant‐based diets; understanding how the influence of a specific dietary component on fish gut microbiota has become increasingly important. Furthermore, the advancement of microbial genome sequencing technologies provides more comprehensive information on the effects of various dietary components on the gut microbiota of fish. Changes in these macronutrients and micronutrients can disrupt the eubiosis, gradually leading to dysbiosis by selectively enriching microbial guilds with distinct metabolic capacities, ultimately affecting the host‐microbial interaction, gut homeostasis, and overall fish health. Mostly, animal‐derived proteins and marine oils often favour the growth of bacteria that can metabolize proteins and lipids, whereas plant‐based proteins support the growth of bacteria that can ferment complex carbohydrates to produce beneficial metabolites, including short‐chain fatty acids. Feed additives are important to modulate the gut microbiota of fish via enhancing the abundance of beneficial bacterial species. Therefore, formulating aquafeeds by targeting on promoting the growth of beneficial gut microbiota and assessing the value of feed ingredients via considering the gut homeostasis indices seems useful. This review upgrades our knowledge on how dietary components interact and regulate the gut microbiota, ultimately influencing overall fish performance. Designing next‐generation aquafeeds and developing precision nutrition for the fish and their microbiota using advanced omics and artificial intelligence technologies to develop climate‐resilient fish farming is crucial.
ABSTRACT Although several African coastal regions have biophysical conditions comparable to those in shrimp‐farming regions of Asia and Latin America, Africa accounts for less than 0.5% of global farmed shrimp production. This review evaluates the development prospects of African shrimp aquaculture, identifies constraints on expansion, and draws lessons from Ecuador, India, and Vietnam as benchmark exporters. It synthesises literature published between 2010 and May 2026 using a narrative review approach. Production is concentrated in Madagascar, Egypt, and Nigeria, with semi‐intensive systems predominating. Expansion is constrained by weak governance, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to high‐quality seed and feed, viral disease risks, financing constraints, and fragmented value chains. Under explicit assumptions for total farm area, pond allocation, and annual yield, the coordinated development pathway generates a conditional scenario value of approximately 1.75 Mt. by 2050, assuming a total farm footprint equivalent to 0.4% of Africa's salt‐affected soils. Evidence from comparator countries indicates that movement towards this pathway would require context‐specific strategies centred on clear institutional mandates, coordinated regulation, and industry‐linked research and technology transfer. Additional priorities include phased investment in biosecure clusters integrating hatcheries, feed production, farms, processing, and logistics. Other priorities include appropriate financing, access to specific‐pathogen‐free broodstock, traceability, quality assurance, and environmental safeguards. Implementation must account for cross‐country variation in environmental and socioeconomic conditions, production experience, infrastructure, and market access. The findings provide an evidence base for phased development of African shrimp aquaculture and identify conditions under which the sector could contribute to employment, export earnings, rural livelihoods, and food‐security benefits.
