This book deals with the fundamentals of key physiological mechanisms involved in the development and growth of fish larvae. Chapters included show how the environmental and nutritional conditions are affecting the developmental process from its molecular basis and how these same conditions also influence the final characteristics of late larvae and fry. This volume provides recent findings on the importance of environmental rhythms, some specific nutrients and the adequate microbial environment in the developmental processes including recent results of current research projects.

Aquaculture continues to grow more rapidly than all other animal food-producing sectors. The gap between seafood supply and market demand suggests a great potential for aquaculture development to meet the needs of seafood consumers. Larval fish rearing is a bottleneck to supply sufficient quantity and high quality of fingerlings for grow-out production. This book aims to provide comprehensive references on larval fish aquaculture. Specifically, it attempts to update the recent development in larval fish feed and feeding, environmental manipulation and hatchery management and to suggest future research needs for improvement of production efficiency in larval fish culture. Currently no book of this kind is available to cover major issues in larval fish aquaculture from an environmental, biological and managerial perspective. This book starts from environmental factors including temperature, salinity and light, and then extends to the major biological and managerial issues in larval fish rearing including live feed production, feeding and digestion, gas bladder development, metamorphosis, cannibalism control and weaning strategies. This book will become a useful reference text for researchers and hatchery managers advancing knowledge in larval fish rearing and a supplementary textbook for advanced courses in larval fish biology and aquaculture.

With the persisting need of animal experimentation for fundamental and applied research, the relevance and importance of the 3Rs Principle cannot be ignored. The 3Rs Principle was put forward over 50 years ago, providing an essential framework for more humane animal experimentation in research. In this half-century the research landscape within which this principle is applied has dramatically changed and evolved, with ever more emerging venues to explore for 3Rs advancement and implementation.

Marine environment is a habitant for several species and significantly plays an essential role in the food cycle and climate regulation. Several species including fish and invertebrates that are used as food for humans. Marine larvae species also contain metabolites and are useful for protection and cure of several diseases. This book provides information on aquaculture production, larval feeding, early stage of marine invertebrate’s bioassay and zebrafish model for drug toxicity. This book will interest scientists in the field of marine biotechnology, life sciences, materials scientists, aquaculture companies, and natural product researchers.

This book highlights the ontogenetic development of larval T. ovatus, provides a comprehensive overview of larval rearing of this species. It focuses on the physiological and molecular changes during the early ontogeny of T. ovatus and hatchery and nursery practices. The first seven chapters update the recent development in the hatchery technology in T. ovatus, including feed and feeding, environmental manipulation, hatchery management, and fingerlings in transportation. Chapter eight and onwards decode the possible molecular mechanisms underlying fish development and response to environmental changes and discuss the transcription and expressions of growth and development-related genes in T. ovatus. The last chapters discuss the functional feed additives to the diet and antibiotic usage of T. ovatus juveniles. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners and students in the aquaculture industry and related fields.

This book sheds light on the major functions of microbial communities in aquaculture ecosystems, showing that by recycling nutrients, degrading organic matter and preventing disease outbreaks, a variety of microbes are truly beneficial to a wide range of aquaculture industries. It discusses how deteriorating environmental quality enables some microbial strains to trigger disease, describes the development of highly sustainable tools to improve water quality, and identifies crucial factors that endanger microbial homeostasis in aquaculture ecosystems. The book also covers post-antibiotic approaches for preventing and treating opportunistic microbial infections based on harnessing environmental and fish-associated microbial communities. Furthermore, it explores how manipulating and engineering these complex microbial communities using bio-agents such as probiotics, phages, natural nutritional additives, or with fine-tuned biofilters will open the door for new ways to develop a more sustainable and cost-effective aquaculture industry. Including an accessible presentation of modern high-throughput sequencing technology to identify host-microbial interactions in aquaculture ecosystems, this book is a valuable resource for scientists, aquaculture and fishery experts, sustainability enthusiasts and scholars in the areas of biology and marine agriculture.