Microbial Ecology of the Gastrointestinal Tract of Fish and the Potential Application of Prebiotics and Probiotics in Finfish Aquaculture

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The need for enhanced disease resistance, feed efficiency, and growth performance of cultured organisms is substantial for various sectors of this industry. If growth performance and feed efficiency are increased in commercial aquaculture, then the costs of production are likely to be reduced. Also if more fish are able to resist disease and survive until they are of marketable size, the subsequent cost of medication and overall production costs would be reduced drastically. It has been documented in a number of food animals that gastrointestinal microbiota play important roles in affecting the nutrition and health of the host organism. Thus, various means of altering the intestinal microbiota to achieve favorable effects such as enhancing growth, digestion, immunity, and disease resistance of the host organism have been investigated in various terrestrial livestock as well as in humans. Dietary supplementation of prebiotcs, which are classified as non‐digestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by stimulating growth and/or activity of a limited number of health‐promoting bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacter spp. in the intestine, while limiting potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria and Escherichia coli, have been reported to favorably affect various terrestrial species; however, such information is extremely limited to date for aquatic organisms. Effects of probiotics, defined as live microbial feed supplements, on gastrointestinal microbiota have been studied in some fishes, but the primary application of microbial manipulations in aquaculture has been to alter the composition of the aquatic medium. In general, the gastrointestinal microbiota of fishes including those produced in aquaculture has been poorly characterized, especially the anaerobic microbiota. Therefore, more detailed studies of the microbial community of cultured fish are needed to potentially enhance the effectiveness of prebiotic and probiotic supplementation. This review summarizes and evaluates current knowledge of intestinal microbial ecology of fishes, the various functions of this intestinal microbial community, and the potential for further application of prebiotics and probiotics in aquaculture.     

Modulation of nutrient digestibility and digestive enzyme activities in aquatic animals: The functional feed additives scenario

Considering the costs of feed costs (nearly 60% of production cost), nutrition, feeding and feed utilization are among the most important factors in commercial aquaculture. During the last decade, administration of functional feed additives has been practiced for enhancing nutrient digestibility and digestive enzyme activities of cultured fish and shellfish. Traditionally, antibiotics were used for boosting growth performance and nutrient digestibility in commercial aquaculture. However, emergence of resistance pathogens and possible risk to human health resulted in limitation or prohibition of prophylactic administration of antibiotics. Recently, there was increasing attentions towards dietary administration of functional feed additives that include probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics for elevation of digestive enzyme activity and nutrient digestibility. The results of those studies revealed contradictory effects of different pro‐, pre‐ or synbiotics on various fish species. It seems that the effects are species specific and related to modulation of the intestinal microbiota. In view of this issue, the present review provides a comprehensive sight on the effects of different pro‐, pre‐ and synbiotics on digestive enzyme activity and nutrient digestibility in different species with special focus on the mode of action. In addition, the present review highlighted the gaps of existing knowledge as well as suggesting the subjects which needs additional studies.     

Application of dietary supplements (synbiotics and probiotics in combination with plant products and β‐glucans) in aquaculture

This review addresses the dietary supplements, synbiotics and probiotics in combination with plant products or yeast/β‐glucans in aquaculture. The potential applications of synbiotics have a relatively short history in aquaculture, but have generated interest because of numerous benefits reported in endothermic animals. Since the first study was published by (Aquaculture Science in 2009) the concept has been used in aquaculture to reveal effects on growth performance, gut microbiota, gut histology, immune parameters, haematological and biochemical parameters as well as increased disease resistance. However, a limited number of probiotic bacteria (mainly Bacillus and Enterococcus) and prebiotics (mannan oligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, short‐chain fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, arabinoxylan–oligosaccharides, isomaltooligosaccharide, chitosan oligosaccharide and inulin) have been used. Additionally, some studies have used plant products or yeast/β‐glucans in combination with probiotics, and these studies suggested that these dietary supplements promote growth performance and boost some immune parameters. The present review identifies evaluations of gut microbiota and gut morphology, and mucosal immune response as significant gaps in existing knowledge and suggests issues that merit further investigations to conclude the potential of dietary supplements in aquaculture.     

Probiotics in fish and shellfish culture: immunomodulatory and ecophysiological responses

Aquaculture is emerging as one of the most viable and promising enterprises for keeping pace with the surging need for animal protein, providing nutritional and food security to humans, particularly those residing in regions where livestock is relatively scarce. With every step toward intensification of aquaculture practices, there is an increase in the stress level in the animal as well as the environment. Hence, disease outbreak is being increasingly recognized as one of the most important constraints to aquaculture production in many countries, including India. Conventionally, the disease control in aquaculture has relied on the use of chemical compounds and antibiotics. The development of non-antibiotic and environmentally friendly agents is one of the key factors for health management in aquaculture. Consequently, with the emerging need for environmentally friendly aquaculture, the use of alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in fish nutrition is now widely accepted. In recent years, probiotics have taken center stage and are being used as an unconventional approach that has numerous beneficial effects in fish and shellfish culture: improved activity of gastrointestinal microbiota and enhanced immune status, disease resistance, survival, feed utilization and growth performance. As natural products, probiotics have much potential to increase the efficiency and sustainability of aquaculture production. Therefore, comprehensive research to fully characterize the intestinal microbiota of prominent fish species, mechanisms of action of probiotics and their effects on the intestinal ecosystem, immunity, fish health and performance is reasonable. This review highlights the classifications and applications of probiotics in aquaculture. The review also summarizes the advancement and research highlights of the probiotic status and mode of action, which are of great significance from an ecofriendly, sustainable, intensive aquaculture point of view.     

Fishing for health: Do the world’s national policies for fisheries and aquaculture align with those for nutrition?

Aquatic foods are rich in micronutrients essential to human health, and fisheries and aquaculture are increasingly recognized for their capacity to contribute to reducing global micronutrient deficiencies and diet-based health risks. Whether fisheries and aquaculture sector and public health nutrition policies align to meet this goal, however, is unclear. Do fisheries and aquaculture policies have explicit nutrition and public health objectives? Do public health nutrition policies recognize the contribution of aquatic foods? Using content analysis, we assessed the alignment of objectives in national fisheries and public health nutrition policies. We further determined conditions associated with varying levels of cohesion among policies in these sectors or domains. We found that 77 of 158 national fisheries policies identified nutrition as a key objective in the sector, and 68 of 165 public health nutrition policies identified the importance of fish and shellfish consumption as key objectives. More recent policies were associated with improved coherence among sectors. International organization presence in policy development was also associated with greater coherence. Countries with higher overweight prevalence had fisheries and public health nutrition policies that were not aligned. There has been a promising recent trend for improved alignment of objectives between fisheries and public health nutrition policies, but more targeted and systematic policy approaches are needed to realize the potential contribution of nutrient-rich fish and shellfish to healthier food systems.     

Effect of Dietary Prebiotic Inulin on Growth Performance,Intestinal Microflora,Body Composition and Hematological Parameters of Juvenile Beluga,Huso huso (Linnaeus, 1758)

Use of prebiotics, nondigestible dietary ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth of and/or activating the metabolism of health‐promoting bacteria in the intestinal tract, is a novel concept in aquaculture. An 8‐week feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary prebiotic inulin on growth performance, intestinal microflora, body composition and hematological parameters of juvenile beluga, Huso huso. Three replicate groups of fish (initially averaging weight as group 16.14 ± 0.38 g) were fed diets containing prebiotic inulin levels ranging from 1 to 3%. The basal diet contained 3% cellulose. Fish were fed to apparent satiation and growth performance was monitored. The results of linear regression showed that there was a negative relationship between some performance indices including weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), energy retention (ER), feed efficiency (FE), protein retention (PR), and supplementation level of inulin, which indicated that inulin is not appropriate for supplementation in the diet of beluga. At the end of trial, in both basal and inulin groups, the total count of intestinal bacteria decreased within the second 4 weeks, but the intestinal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) increased in the 1% inulin group. These changes were not, however, reflected in the survival rate of the fish, although survival was higher compared to other groups.     

Short‐chain fatty acids as feed supplements for sustainable aquaculture: an updated view

Restriction or ban on antibiotic administration in aquaculture encourages the development of environment‐friendly feed additives as immunostimulants. Short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and their salts are ‘Generally Regarded as Safe’ and are often used as antimicrobials in the livestock feed industry. Formate, acetate, propionate, butyrate and their salts are among the most studied SCFAs in aquaculture. These SCFAs affect the host performance as well as physiological response upon three ways: either through effects of the feeds that are being administered, through effects on the gastrointestinal tract of the animal or through direct effects on metabolism. To date, most of the available data are focused on the effects of SCFAs on growth performance and feed utilization. Despite extensive research studies on the effects of the different type of SCFAs and their salts on growth performance and feed utilization, the effects of these feed additives on the health of aquatic organisms have only been receiving attention recently. The results of the studies demonstrated beneficial effects of SCFAs as promising feed additives in aquaculture. The present review article summarizes and discusses the topic of dietary administration of SCFAs and their salts in aquaculture with a closer look at the recent findings regarding the effects of SCFAs on growth performance and health status of fish and shellfish. Furthermore, this review identifies the gaps of existing knowledge regarding the roles of SCFAs in the growth and health status of aquatic animals and suggests research areas that merit further investigations.     

Probiotic effect of Bacillus NL110 and Vibrio NE17 on the survival,growth performance and immune response of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man)

Eight hundred and eighty‐five strains of bacterial isolates from various samples associated with the natural habitat of Macrobrachium rosenbergii were screened for their probiotic potential. Two putative probionts namely Bacillus NL110 and Vibrio NE17 isolated from the larvae and egg samples, respectively, were selected for experimental studies and were introduced to the juveniles of M. rosenbergii (0.080±0.001 g) through different modes such as through feed, water and both. The probiotic potential of the above bacteria in terms of improvements in water quality, growth, survival, specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio and immune parameters was evaluated. The treatment groups showed a significant improvement in SGR and weight gain (P<0.001). Survival among different treatment groups was better than that in the control group. There were also significant improvements in the water quality parameters such as the concentration of nitrate and ammonia in the treatment groups (P<0.05). Improvements in immune parameters such as the total haemocyte count (P<0.05), phenoloxidase activity and respiratory burst were also significant (P<0.001). It is concluded that screening of the natural microflora of cultured fish and shellfish for putative probionts might yield probiotic strains of bacteria that could be utilized for an environment‐friendly and organic mode of aquaculture.     

Considerations on the Use of Malachite Green in Aquaculture and Analytical Aspects of Determining the Residues in Fish: A Review

Aquaculture in Brazil has shown expressive development since the 1990s with growth rates superior to those of cattle and poultry. In order to achieve greater productivity, intensive fish cultivation systems are employed, which can cause greater susceptibility to diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The reduced availability of veterinary medications approved for use in aquaculture in Brazil has lead fish farmers to the indiscriminate use of several chemical substances with antimicrobial activity, such as the dye malachite green (MG). As a result of this use, residues of MG and its main biotransformation product, leucomalachite green (LMG), may be present in fish available for consumption. The presence of residues of these compounds represents a risk to human health due to their toxicity, as well as a potential impact on the environment, and could also raise barriers for commercialization in the country and for exportation. The objective of this review is to provide the context and evidence of the use of MG in aquaculture and of its toxicological and legislative aspects. A review of the analytical methods used to determine MG residues in fish, with emphasis on mass spectrometry, is also presented.     

Nutrition and health of aquaculture fish

Under intensive culture conditions, fish are subject to increased stress owing to environmental (water quality and hypoxia) and health conditions (parasites and infectious diseases). All these factors have negative impacts on fish well-being and overall performance, with consequent economic losses. Though good management practices contribute to reduce stressor effects, stress susceptibility is always high under crowded conditions. Adequate nutrition is essential to avoid deficiency signs, maintain adequate animal performance and sustain normal health. Further, it is becoming evident that diets overfortified with specific nutrients [amino acids, essential fatty acids (FAs), vitamins or minerals] at levels above requirement may improve health condition and disease resistance. Diet supplements are also being evaluated for their antioxidant potential, as fish are potentially at risk of peroxidative attack because of the large quantities of highly unsaturated FAs in both fish tissues and diets. Functional constituents other than essential nutrients (such as probiotics, prebiotics and immunostimulants) are also currently being considered in fish nutrition aiming to improve fish growth and/or feed efficiency, health status, stress tolerance and resistance to diseases. Such products are becoming more and more important for reducing antibiotic utilization in aquafarms, as these have environmental impacts, may accumulate in animal tissues and increase bacterial resistance. This study reviews knowledge of the effect of diet nutrients on health, welfare and improvement of disease resistance in fish.     

去除鱼类土腥味养殖系统的构建技术研究

以团头鲂、鲫鱼为试验对象,构建了一种基于人工生态系统的循环水养殖系统。通过底层陶粒吸附细菌、流水养鱼加快鱼类的代谢、湿地去除氨氮提高鱼的活性、生化箱培养硝化菌和反硝化菌来调控水质并起到控制水流速度的作用等技术手段来去除鱼类土腥味,同时研究不同盐度对其调控效果的影响。结果表明:本养殖系统对水体中的藻类和放线菌以及鱼体中的放线菌有明显的抑制作用。把(土池)池塘内养殖的鱼放入系统中暂养,一个月后土腥味显著降低,3个月后土腥味几乎消失;且随着水体盐度的升高,效果越加明显。     

Health of farmed fish: its relation to fish welfare and its utility as welfare indicator

This brief review focuses on health and biological function as cornerstones of fish welfare. From the function-based point of view, good welfare is reflected in the ability of the animal to cope with infectious and non-infectious stressors, thereby maintaining homeostasis and good health, whereas stressful husbandry conditions and protracted suffering will lead to the loss of the coping ability and, thus, to impaired health. In the first part of the review, the physiological processes through which stressful husbandry conditions modulate health of farmed fish are examined. If fish are subjected to unfavourable husbandry conditions, the resulting disruption of internal homeostasis necessitates energy-demanding physiological adjustments (allostasis/acclimation). The ensuing energy drain leads to trade-offs with other energy-demanding processes such as the functioning of the primary epithelial barriers (gut, skin, gills) and the immune system. Understanding of the relation between husbandry conditions, allostatic responses and fish health provides the basis for the second theme developed in this review, the potential use of biological function and health parameters as operational welfare indicators (OWIs). Advantages of function- and health-related parameters are that they are relatively straightforward to recognize and to measure and are routinely monitored in most aquaculture units, thereby providing feasible tools to assess fish welfare under practical farming conditions. As the efforts to improve fish welfare and environmental sustainability lead to increasingly diverse solutions, in particular integrated production, it is imperative that we have objective OWIs to compare with other production forms, such as high-density aquaculture. However, to receive the necessary acceptance for legislation, more robust scientific backing of the health- and function-related OWIs is urgently needed.     

Isolation and evaluation of putative probiotic strains from different teleost to prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in Cyprinus carpio

Probiotics renowned as valuable microbes serve as a potential alternative to control diseases in aquaculture and are considered as an efficient and environment‐friendly approach to reduce the use of antibiotics. The present study aims at the isolation of putative probiotic bacteria from the intestinal tract of different fish species from the Doaba region of Punjab, India. In this study, isolated bacterial strains were characterized based on their morphological, biochemical and molecular characterization by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, followed by in vitro evaluation of different selection parameters described in FAO/WHO guidelines. A total of 169 different bacterial strains were isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of 52 different fish species. After in vitro evaluation, out of 169 bacterial strains only five bacteria (S3, S7, BDK2', BDK7 and BDK9) identified as Enterococcus and Bacillus species showed antagonistic activity against the fish pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 4 673). These isolates were screened based on their response towards bile tolerance, pH tolerance, adhesion and drug susceptibility to different antibiotic discs. And, the in vivo results indicated improved growth and survival against the infection (P. aeruginosa) after oral administration of the probiotics. The observations of in vitro and in vivo evaluation indicate that these isolated probiotic strains serve as effective probiotics and can be used as a novel and safe treatment to cure current issues in aquaculture.     

The ecological role of bivalve shellfish aquaculture in the estuarine environment: A review with application to oyster and clam culture in West Coast (USA) estuaries

Aquaculture is viewed as a potential mechanism to meet the growing demand for seafood around the world. The future of bivalve shellfish aquaculture in the U.S. hinges on sustainable practices on the part of industry and a more consistent regulatory regime. Bivalve shellfish aquaculture is a recent practice relative to its history in other countries, beginning in the late 1800s along the U.S. West Coast where it is now well established with farm raised product utilizing land-based hatcheries and grow-out directly in numerous estuaries. Bivalve shellfish aquaculture can be viewed as a disturbance which modifies the estuarine system in three ways: 1) changes in material processes — bivalves process food and produce wastes; 2) addition of physical structure — aquaculture introduces the cultured organisms and in some cases a physical anchoring structure; and 3) pulse disturbances like harvest and bed maintenance disturb sediments, remove species in addition to the cultured organisms themselves, and change resource or habitat availability. In U.S. West Coast estuaries, water column and sediment nutrient concentrations are relatively high and influenced by large tidal exchange and proximity to deeper nearshore ocean waters where upwelling controls production during summer months. Bivalves are unlikely to influence material processes except at local bed scales in these systems, although estuary-wide effects could appear as the fraction of cultured area rises or in poorly flushed bays. Bivalve culture clearly modifies estuarine habitat at local community and at landscape scales and effects are most often evaluated against existing structured habitat in the form of submerged aquatic vegetation. Individual activities act as pulse disturbances and the recovery of eelgrass (Zostera marina) to pre-disturbance levels is variable (< 2 to > 5 years). The extent of disturbance depends on the aquaculture practice and the distribution of eelgrass reflects a balance of space competition, pulse disturbance and recovery, and is therefore at dynamic equilibrium on aquaculture beds. Structure provided by aquaculture appears functionally similar to eelgrass for small benthic infauna and mobile epibenthic fauna while use of aquaculture as habitat by larger more mobile invertebrates and fish depends on mobility and varies with life-history stage and taxon being evaluated. Scale seems a very important management consideration and further research at estuarine landscape scales, especially for habitat use by important invertebrates and fish, may prove useful in designing and implementing best management practices. Though local and short term effects from aquaculture are clearly evident in U.S. West Coast estuaries, bivalve aquaculture does not remove area from the estuary or degrade water quality like other anthropogenic influences, and thus has not been implicated in shifts to alternate states or reduced adaptive capacity of the larger ecological system.     

Effect of anaesthesia with clove oil in fish (review)

Clove oil is an effective, local and natural anaesthetic. Many hatcheries and research studies use clove oil to immobilize fish for handling, sorting, tagging, artificial reproduction procedures and surgery and to suppress sensory systems during invasive procedures. Clove oil may be more appropriate for use in commercial aquaculture situations. Improper clove oil use can decrease fish viability, distort physiological data or result in mortalities. Because animals may be anaesthetized by unskilled labourers and released in natural water bodies, training in the proper use of clove oil may decrease variability in recovery and experimental results and increase fish survival. Here, we briefly describe many aspects of clove oil, including the legal uses of it, anaesthesia mechanism and what is currently known about the preparation and behavioural and pathologic effects of the anaesthetic. We outline methods and precautions for administration and changes in fish behaviour during progressively deeper anaesthesia and discuss the physiological effects of clove oil, its potential for compromising fish health and effectiveness of water quality parameters.     

Critically examining the knowledge base required to mechanistically project climate impacts: A case study of Europe's fish and shellfish

An amalgam of empirical data from laboratory and field studies is needed to build robust, theoretical models of climate impacts that can provide science‐based advice for sustainable management of fish and shellfish resources. Using a semi‐systematic literature review, Gap Analysis and multilevel meta‐analysis, we assessed the status of empirical knowledge on the direct effects of climate change on 37 high‐value species targeted by European fisheries and aquaculture sectors operating in marine and freshwater regions. Knowledge on potential climate change‐related drivers (single or combined) on several responses (vital rates) across four categories (exploitation sector, region, life stage, species), was considerably unbalanced as well as biased, including a low number of studies (a) examining the interaction of abiotic factors, (b) offering opportunities to assess local adaptation, (c) targeting lower‐value species. The meta‐analysis revealed that projected warming would increase mean growth rates in fish and mollusks and significantly elevate metabolic rates in fish. Decreased levels of dissolved oxygen depressed rates of growth and metabolism across coherent species groups (e.g., small pelagics, etc.) while expected declines in pH reduced growth in most species groups and increased mortality in bivalves. The meta‐analytical results were influenced by the study design and moderators (e.g., life stage, season). Although meta‐analytic tools have become increasingly popular, when performed on the limited available data, these analyses cannot grasp relevant population effects, even in species with a long history of study. We recommend actions to overcome these shortcomings and improve mechanistic (cause‐and‐effect) projections of climate impacts on fish and shellfish.     

饲料中发酵啤酒酵母添加水平对大口黑鲈生长、饲料利用效率和水质的影响

鱼类营养和饲料研究起始于20世纪50年代,并借鉴对人类和畜、禽营养研究的经验建立了研究范式。在过去70年中,鱼类营养和饲料研究遵循已有的范式取得了大量的成果,这些研究成果推动了水产配合饲料技术的进步,为水产饲料产业从无到有、从小到大做出了贡献。然而,随着全球水产养殖规模的不断扩大,水产养殖产业面临的资源和环境压力日益增加,对水产饲料也提出了更多和更高的要求。养殖生产实践表明,根据一些肉食性鱼类营养和饲料研究结果设计配方生产的饲料不能取得预期的应用效果,这意味着遵循已有研究范式所得到的结果难以完全满足现代鱼类养殖生产的需要。本文总结了两种具有重要经济价值的肉食性鱼类(大口黑鲈和大黄鱼)配合饲料在养殖生产中应用的曲折历程,指出早期研究明显低估了饲料蛋白水平是导致配合饲料长期无法在养殖生产中成功应用的主要原因。早期研究报道大口黑鲈的饲料蛋白需求为400~440 g/kg,大黄鱼的饲料蛋白需求为450~470 g/kg,但投喂配合饲料的鱼的生长明显比投喂冰鲜鱼的鱼慢。重新评估发现大口黑鲈和大黄鱼饲料蛋白需求分别为480~510 g/kg和490~520 g/kg,投喂含适量蛋白的配合饲料时鱼生长与投喂冰鲜鱼时接近。对大口黑鲈和大黄鱼饲料蛋白需求的明显低估反映出已有鱼类营养和饲料研究范式中存在不足,其表现为：①强调食物对鱼类生长的影响,但忽视了鱼类遗传背景和食物外的其他环境条件对鱼类生长和摄食的作用;②强调鱼类个体生长可反映其营养需求和饲料质量,但忽视了鱼类个体生长并不能完全反映养殖产量和效益;③强调生长和饲料利用效率在评价水产养殖效益方面的重要性,但忽视了投饵养殖对自然资源和环境所产生的负面影响是限制水产养殖可持续发展的瓶颈;④基础饲料配方对评价营养需求或饲料质量的影响没有得到足够重视,因基础饲料组成不合理导致一些研究结果缺乏实际意义。针对上述问题,作者建议对已有范式的概念、理论和研究方法做如下改进：①重视鱼类遗传背景和食物以外的其它环境条件对鱼类生长的影响,明确鱼类生长潜力决定营养需求,而食物营养是实现生长潜力的条件;②重视食物中各种营养素之间的相互作用,明确不同饲料原料在配方的营养平衡中发挥不同的作用;③进行饲养实验时重视实验鱼种质和种群结构,重视对照组和处理组个体生长的差异幅度在判断处理效应方面的指示意义,重视饲料配方对自然资源和环境等制约水产养殖可持续发展的因素的影响。改进后的研究范式更符合现代水产养殖生产实际,遵循其开展研究获得的结果能够更好地指导饲料配方设计,所生产的配合饲料也能更好地应用于水产养殖生产。

     

Recent advances of genome mapping and marker‐assisted selection in aquaculture

Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector in agriculture. Substantial genetic gains have been achieved in a few cultured species using conventional selective breeding approaches. However, the majority of fish and shellfish species remain in their wild state. Due to the recognition of the enormous potential of marker‐assisted selection (MAS) to speed up genetic gain through early selection, aquaculture scientists have constructed linkage maps in over 40 species and mapped quantitative trait loci (QTL) for important traits in over 20 species since the 1990s. Although MAS and genomic selection (GS) have not been widely used in aquaculture, their application in breeding programmes is expected to be a fertile area of research. In this paper, I summarized the recent advances of linkage and QTL mapping, as well as MAS in aquaculture species. I also discussed the potentials of genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) and GS in aquaculture species.     

生物絮团技术对异育银鲫生长性能和抗性的影响

为研究生物絮团技术(Biofloc Technology,BFT)在沿海滩涂鱼类养殖中的应用效果,本实验以滩涂主要养殖种类——异育银鲫(Carassius auratus gibelio)为研究对象,按照BFT养殖模式(BFT组,不换水,只补存蒸发掉或取样部分的水分)和一般养殖模式(对照组,每日换水1次,每次换水1/4~1/3)分别饲养,测定各处理组异育银鲫的生长指标、消化酶活性和免疫相关酶活性,应用实时荧光定量PCR法定量分析热休克蛋白HSP70的相对表达,人工感染试验对比分析BFT养殖模式组和一般养殖模式组异育银鲫生长性能和抗性的变化。结果显示:(1)BFT组异育银鲫增重率、特定生长率和存活率均高于对照组(P0.01),肥满度、脏体比和肝体比与对照组间无显著差异(P0.05);(2)BFT组异育银鲫肠道中淀粉酶、脂肪酶和胃蛋白酶活性显著高于对照组(P0.05),分别提高了53.10%、28.10%和17.99%;(3)BFT组异育银鲫体表黏液中超氧化物歧化酶活性、血清中总抗氧化能力和溶菌酶活性高于对照组(P0.01);(4)BFT组脾、肾、肝和鳃中热休克蛋白HSP70的表达量分别上调了1.29倍、1.34倍、1.87倍和1.68倍;(5)嗜水气单胞菌(Aeromonas hydrophilia)人工感染试验证实,BFT组异育银鲫抗细菌感染能力显著增强。研究表明,BFT养殖模式适于异育银鲫养殖,可促进鱼体生长,增强其应激能力和抗病力。     

The rise of fish oil: From feed to human nutritional supplement

ABSTRACT

This article tells the story of how fish oil has gone from an inferior to a premium oil product. With the growth of aquaculture, fish oil became a valuable feed component. Its value increased further as the belief in the health benefit of Omega-3 opened the market for direct human consumption through nutritional supplements. Strong demand, limited supply growth and weaker substitution between Omega-3 and Omega-6 has led to diverging trends between fish oil and vegetable oil prices, with fish oil now a premium oil product. We also investigated how the salmon aquaculture industry has responded to the challenge of rising fish oil prices. Concerted effort in nutrition and feed research is shown to have allowed a reduction in the share of fish oil in feed from around 25% in the early 2000s to around 12% today. This substitution effort has allowed salmon production to grow without using substantially more fish oil.