Aquaculture International最新文献

{"title":"Assessing growth, survival, and predator management in juvenile black-lip pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera) farming: insights from Savusavu Bay, Fiji","authors":"Jasha Dehm,&nbsp;Teari Kaure,&nbsp;Epineri Tunaka,&nbsp;Sandra Vanukon,&nbsp;Robert Hunter,&nbsp;Justin Hunter,&nbsp;Timothy Pickering,&nbsp;Chinthaka Hewavitharane","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01852-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01852-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The growth, survival, and predation interactions of juvenile <i>Pinctada margaritifera</i> in Savusavu Bay, Fiji, with a focus on assessing the effectiveness of fish exclusion devices as a predator management tool were investigated. Results showed favorable environmental conditions for oyster growth, with an average monthly growth rate of 4.87 mm; however, maintaining high survival rates proved challenging with survival rates as low as ~ 22%, with significant variation between farm sites—Matuku farm achieved 85.4% survival over 4 months, while Vatulele farm experienced lower survival rates at 45.6%. Multiple species were found to interact with oyster lines, with species such as puffer fish (<i>Arothron</i> spp.), titan triggerfish (<i>Balistoides viridescens</i>), and golden trevally (<i>Caranx sexfasciatus</i>), emerging as key predators. Fish exclusion devices had limited impact on improving overall oyster survival, suggesting that other factors, including site selection, regular maintenance, and targeted predator management, should be considered. The economic feasibility of exclusion devices is promising, but a more comprehensive approach combining these devices with predator removal could enhance both sustainability and profitability. This study provides valuable insights into improving pearl oyster farming practices in Fiji, highlighting the need for future research on predator–prey dynamics and integrated management strategies to optimize survival and growth.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143108311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continuous use of settling chamber in saltwort Batis maritima and marine shrimp Penaeus vannamei biofloc-based aquaponics","authors":"Ramires Eloise Queiroz Rafael,&nbsp;Isabela de Almeida Gomes,&nbsp;Esdras Salgado da Silva,&nbsp;Mateus Aranha Martins,&nbsp;Matheus Moreira Rocha,&nbsp;Ramon Felipe Siqueira Carneiro,&nbsp;Isabela Claudiana Pinheiro,&nbsp;Luciano Valdemiro Gonzaga,&nbsp;Ana Carolina de Oliveira Costa,&nbsp;André Batista de Souza,&nbsp;Felipe Boéchat Vieira,&nbsp;Walter Quadros Seiffert","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01849-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01849-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study evaluated the continuous use of settling chamber in saltwort <i>Batis maritima</i> and marine shrimp <i>Penaeus vannamei</i> biofloc-based aquaponics, as regards shrimp and plant growth performance, water quality, biofloc size, and phytochemical analysis. Two treatments were assessed in triplicate for 55 days: continuous use of settling chamber before the shrimp tank water was sent to the plant channels compared to no settling chamber. The shrimp (250 animals m⁻³) were cultivated in 800-L tanks equipped with heating and aeration systems, whereas the plants were cultivated in hydroponic channels that received the shrimp tank water through pumping. The continuous use of the settling chamber resulted in significantly higher values of ammonia and nitrite, in addition to lower concentrations of nitrate and total suspended solids in the aquaponics system (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Lower biofloc size (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) in the treatment with settling chamber suggests the shear effect of the pump could have contributed to the instability in the concentrations of ammonia and nitrite due to destabilizing the bacterial community in the bioflocs. No significant differences in shrimp and plant performance were observed (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05), whereas the plants cultivated in the treatment with settling chamber exhibited higher values of antioxidant capacity and total phenolics compounds (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05), suggesting a higher stress environment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143107863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The potential of hydrolyzed chicken feather meal as a partial replacement for fish meal and its effects on the growth and health status of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings","authors":"Nik Nur Akmal ‘Aliah Abdul Rashid,&nbsp;Zulhisyam Abdul Kari,&nbsp;Parashuram Kallem,&nbsp;Suniza Anis Mohamad Sukri,&nbsp;Syed Muhammad Al-Amsyar,&nbsp;Noor Khalidah Abdul Hamid,&nbsp;Muhammad Anamul Kabir,&nbsp;El-Sayed Hemdan Eissa,&nbsp;Martina Irwan Khoo,&nbsp;Krishnakumar Velayudhannair,&nbsp;Ajay Guru","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01847-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01847-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The application of agricultural by-products as alternative feed has received tremendous interest from the aquaculture industry. The current study explored the potential of hydrolyzed chicken feather meal (CFM) at different percentages as fish meal (FM) replacement and the impacts on growth, feed stability, apparent protein digestibility, digestive enzyme, body amino acid profiling, body proximate analysis, hematology, and morphology of African catfish (<i>Clarias gariepinus</i>) fingerlings. Five isonitrogenous (32% crude protein) CFM diets were prepared [0% CFM (T1), 5% CFM (T2), 15% CFM (T3), and 30% CFM (T4)] and applied in a 70-day feeding trial. At the end of the experiment, fingerlings fed with the T2 diet exhibited the best final length, final weight, net weight gain, weight gain, specific growth rate, intraperitoneal fat, and condition factor than other treatment groups. Furthermore, the highest digestive enzyme activity and apparent protein digestibility (APD) were highest in the T2 diet. There were significant differences between the groups in the liver, muscle, and intestine amino acid profiles and proximate analysis. Moreover, the T2 group recorded the best villus length, width, and crypt depth in the anterior and posterior regions. The highest white blood cells, lymphocytosis, monocytes, red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were also found in the T2 diet group. Meanwhile, albumin, globulin, and creatine levels were the lowest in the T4 diet group. Notably, fingerlings supplemented with the highest CFM percentage demonstrated the highest morphological deterioration in the liver and intestine. In conclusion, 5% CFM is a promising FM replacement to improve the growth, apparent protein digestibility, digestive enzyme, liver and intestine histology, and blood indices of African catfish fingerlings.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143108067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of the nutritional and effluent properties of potential fish-meal-free diets for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss W.) in Iran","authors":"Hamed Salehi,&nbsp;Stefan Reiser,&nbsp;Ulfert Focken","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01841-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01841-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Research is needed on alternative ingredients for aquafeeds due to rising demand and limited fish meal availability. This study evaluated fish-meal–free diets for rainbow trout in two phases. The first phase focused on assessing the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of six cold-pelleted diets. Aside from the control diet, the test diets contained poultry protein concentrate, blood meal, low-ash poultry by-product meal, 20–40% canola meal, and feather meal (Goldmehl^®). Juvenile fish, averaging 5.3 g, were fed the diets for 56 days in a random-block design with four replicates per feed. Feces were collected using the settling method to evaluate nutritional digestibility and phosphorus availability. The feed from the primary phase, which resulted in the least-cost feed conversion ratio, was extruded and fed to fingerlings (14.6 g) in the second phase. This trial added to the first run in measuring digestibility parameters over a 28-day period. In parallel, extruded feed was given to grow-out fish, averaging 172.5 g, for 55 days in triplicate completely randomized tanks to evaluate growth performance and nutrient effluents. Throughout all the experimental runs, a casein-based laboratory pelleted feed was used for the respective controls. Feeding rainbow trout with 35% canola meal in both pelleted and extruded forms showed comparable results (<i>P</i> &gt; 0.05) to the control in terms of growth performance and apparent digestibility for lipid (&gt; 91%), crude protein (&gt; 87%), and organic matter (&gt; 78%). The extruded feed in this study represents an eco-friendly option for the growing aquafeed sector. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10499-025-01841-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143110213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L.) on growth, antioxidation, immune modulation, and intestinal health of crucian carp (Carassius auratus)","authors":"Liyan Jiang,&nbsp;Xiaoqi Tang,&nbsp;Junyi Lu,&nbsp;Guihong He,&nbsp;Juan Xia,&nbsp;Yanhong Li,&nbsp;Zhengli Wu","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01843-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01843-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In the field of aquatic feed, the search for efficient and safe feed additives to enhance aquaculture efficiency and improve the quality of aquatic products is crucial. Adlay, being rich in nutrition and bioactive substances, has garnered significant interest for feed application. However, its impact on fish has not been studied. In the current study, we evaluate the potential role of different levels of adlay on the performance of crucian carp (<i>Carassius auratus</i>) in terms of growth, antioxidation, immunomodulation, and intestinal health. Four groups fed diets containing 0% (control group, Con), 5.0%, 10.0%, and 14.0% adlay were separated for 8 weeks. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the growth performance of crucian carp among the experimental groups. However, in terms of antioxidant, the 10.0% and 14.0% adlay groups showed a significant reduction in MDA levels, and the levels of GSH-Px and CAT were increased in the 5.0% adlay group and/or 10.0% adlay group. In terms of immune regulation, the mRNA expression of IL-10 and Mcl-1 were increased in the 10.0% and 14.0% adlay groups. Furthermore, it showed a decreased trend of mRNA expressions of IL-1β, TNF-α, NF-κB and Bax, caspase 3, caspase 8, and caspase 9 among adlay groups. After injecting with the pathogen <i>Aeromonas veronii</i>, all three treatments showed lower mortality rates, with the 10.0% adlay group exhibiting the lowest mortality. The activities of amylase and lipase were increased in the 10.0% and 14.0% adlay groups, and the intestinal villus width and crypt depth showed favorable changes in adlay groups. Additionally, dietary adlay increased potential probiotics like <i>Cetobacterium</i> and decreased potential pathogens, such as <i>Aeromonas</i> and <i>Pelomonas</i>. Overall, dietary adlay can enhance antioxidant capacity and immunity and promote intestinal health. According to the regression equation of immunity and antioxidant-related indexes, the optimal adlay for crucian carp was estimated to be 8.87–10.25%. This study provides a scientific basis for the application of adlay in the field of aquatic feed.</p>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143110214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the bioactive properties, extraction methods, and detection techniques of phlorotannins from brown algae: implications for health and nutraceutical applications","authors":"Ngouana Moffo Auriol Ivane,&nbsp;Chinwendu Ozoh,&nbsp;Djuidje Tagne Florine Michelle","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01844-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01844-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The role of bioactive compounds in food as functional ingredients is increasingly recognized for their ability to enhance health and lower the risk of disease. Among these, seaweeds, particularly brown algae, stand out as significant sources of nutraceuticals with numerous health benefits. These marine plants are rich in natural bioactive compounds like phlorotannins, suggesting their promising applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and food products. However, because little is known about efficient methods for extracting these significant components, the potential of brown seaweeds is still unexplored. Therefore, this review is aimed at discussing the bioactive properties of phlorotannins and the most efficient extraction and purification methods for these compounds. Furthermore, we review the anti-obesity, anti-cancer, and other health benefits associated with phlorotannins to provide an updated overview of these valuable natural components and their potential applications in food and nutraceuticals. By enhancing our understanding of phlorotannin, we can better harness its potential in promoting health and well-being, paving the way for innovative applications in the food industry and beyond. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Use of pigmented fungi as additives in aquaculture","authors":"Christina Zantioti,&nbsp;Arkadios Dimitroglou,&nbsp;Konstantinos C. Mountzouris,&nbsp;Helen Miliou,&nbsp;Emmanouil E. Malandrakis","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01840-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01840-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Lately, the need for a shift towards more sustainable aquaculture practices has become essential to ensure the industry’s long-term viability. While the cost of raw materials remains high, policymakers also highlight the need to reduce aquaculture’s environmental footprint. Thus, a way to overcome this is to replace marine-derived aquafeed ingredients with more economical and environmentally friendly alternatives. Pigment-producing yeasts and fungi emerge as potential nutritional solutions with multiple possibilities for enhancing fish pigmentation, growth, and overall health simultaneously. Existing studies have dealt with aspects of pigmented yeasts and fungi applications in aquaculture. However, further research is needed to fully understand their exact routes of action on fish health, production efficiency, and immune function. This review addresses the underexplored potential of pigmented yeasts and fungi in aquaculture. It delves into their benefits, mechanisms of pigment synthesis, and their effects on various aspects of fish physiology, including growth parameters, lipid metabolism, reproduction capacity, pigmentation (colouration), blood biochemical parameters, antioxidant activity, and immunological responses. Finally, the review will address the need to optimize the production processes yield of pigmented yeasts and fungi for effective use in aquafeeds. Still, it will also deal with possible limitations related to their use as additives in aquafeeds.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10499-025-01840-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantifying cortisol in mucus and fins as alternative matrices to validate proactive and reactive stress coping styles in flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) juveniles","authors":"Carlos A. Martínez-Rodríguez,&nbsp;Anaïs Boglino,&nbsp;Zohar Ibarra-Zatarain","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01842-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01842-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cortisol is the main corticosteroid hormone involved in the regulation of stress status in teleost fish and a recognized biomarker of stress, whose plasma concentration increases significantly in response to a perceived hazard situation. Traditional methods to quantify cortisol levels are usually performed through blood extraction, but this approach may be considered as a highly severe stress-inducing method for fish, damaging tissues and inflicting even more stress; therefore, interest in developing alternative and less severe techniques has arisen. In this sense, this study aimed to validate that methods to quantify cortisol in skin mucus and fin of mullet juveniles held in captivity after exposure to an acute stress were as efficient as in plasma samples to confirm physiologically fish behavioural characterization into proactive and reactive stress coping styles (SCS). Flathead grey mullet <i>Mugil cephalus</i> juveniles were characterized as proactive and reactive SCS through group and individual behavioural tests, and cortisol levels were quantified in plasma, skin mucus and fin before (control) and after (in proactive and reactive fish) exposure to an acute stress. Results demonstrated that cortisol quantification in skin mucus and fin was as accurate, less severe, reliable and efficient as in plasma to characterize proactive and reactive SCS in this fish species. Moreover, these techniques might contribute to welfare of individuals.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of water flow rate and stocking density on the early pre-fattening of Manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) farmed in a North Adriatic “Valle da Pesca” (Italy)","authors":"Lorenzo Zanella,&nbsp;Roberto Pastres,&nbsp;Marco Freguglia,&nbsp;Sara Stoppa,&nbsp;Renato Palazzi","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01827-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01827-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Manila clam (<i>Ruditapes philippinarum</i>) is one of the main products of Italian aquaculture and is primarily farmed in the north-Adriatic lagoons. To support this important farming sector, there is a need for increased production of clam seed pre-fattened to a size suitable for sowing in the lagoon, i.e., approximately 8–10 mm. The early pre-fattening up to 4–5 mm in shell length is critical and preferably requires controlled upwelling systems similar to those adopted by hatcheries. These could be implemented in the Italian “valli da pesca,” which are semi-natural confined environments, historically exploited for extensive fish-farming and located in the innermost areas of the north-Adriatic lagoons. The implementation of clam pre-fattening activity in these environments of high naturalistic value, which are currently no longer profitable, presents an excellent opportunity to enhance their valorization and preservation. In this study, two pre-fattening trials were conducted, in autumn and in spring respectively, in an experimental “valle da pesca” equipped with an upwelling system. The aim was to define the optimal conditions of stocking density (approximatively 100–300 clams/cm²) and water flow rate (approximatively 10–20 mL/cm²) for clams with an initial shell length of 1.8–2.6 mm. The clam specific growth rate (SGR) varied between 2.3 and 5%/day, decreasing as stocking density increased and water flow rate decreased. The results suggest that a water flow rate per unit of biomass &gt; 15 mL/min/g fresh weight (FW) (preferably &gt; 20 mL/min/g FW) could support satisfactory clam growth rates. Chlorophyll<i>-a</i> maintained an average concentration of 1.3 mg/m³ in spring and 3.8 mg/m³ in autumn, respectively, but without a clear impact on the clam SGR.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of a non-steroid aromatase inhibitor on hybrid red tilapia masculinization, growth, reproductive hormone profile, and economic efficiency in aquaculture","authors":"Fredrick Juma Syanya,&nbsp;Harikrishnan Mahadevan,&nbsp;A. R. Nikhila Khanna","doi":"10.1007/s10499-025-01824-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10499-025-01824-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>With the expansion of global aquaculture, innovative technologies such as using non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are increasingly being adopted as alternatives to traditional steroid hormones, like methyltestosterone, for masculinization. Prominent AIs, including tamoxifen citrate, letrozole, fadrozole, and exemestane, are widely applied in aquaculture for the masculinization of species such as Nile tilapia, European sea bass, and Japanese medaka. However, concerns persist regarding their residual effects on fish and potential impacts on wild populations and aquatic ecosystems. This study evaluates the effects of tamoxifen citrate inclusion on masculinization, growth performance, survival, histopathology, and economic efficiency in hybrid red tilapia. In total, 260 fry with average weight (0.064 ± 0.012 g) were equally assigned to four treatments with different tamoxifen inclusion levels: TMCA0 (control), TMLA1 (0.2 g/kg feed), TMMA2 (0.4 g/kg feed), and TMHA3 (0.6 g/kg feed), each with three replicates in a completely randomized design. The experiment consisted of two phases: a 60-day treatment phase with tamoxifen-enriched diets, followed by a 90-day recovery phase in outdoor hapas. Fry survival rates were significantly higher in all tamoxifen-treated groups compared to the control, though differences among treatments were not significant (<i>P</i> &gt; 0.05). The 0.4 g tamoxifen/kg feed treatment showed the highest masculinization and growth hormone (GH) levels (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). Estradiol hormone decreased with an increase in tamoxifen dosage, while 11-ketotestosterone increased significantly (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). During phase 1, no significant differences in specific growth rate (SGR) were observed (<i>P</i> &gt; 0.05). While in phase 2, fish fed 0.4 g and 0.6 g tamoxifen/kg showed significantly higher SGRs (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.0001) compared to the control. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) was significantly higher in control and low tamoxifen fed fishes (0.2 g tamoxifen/kg feed) (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). Pathological effects, including ovarian nuclear fragmentation in female and testicular interstitial cell hypertrophy in male, were observed in high tamoxifen fed treatments. Higher tamoxifen levels significantly increased fish yield and profitability, as indicated by improved economic conversion ratio (ECR) and economic profit index (EPI) (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05), despite higher feed costs during recovery. The study highlights tamoxifen’s significant effects on growth, survival, gonadal index, and histomorphology, recommending 0.2–0.4 g tamoxifen/kg feed to balance masculinization, growth, and health for sustainable aquaculture practices.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8122,"journal":{"name":"Aquaculture International","volume":"33 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}