Skeletal abnormalities in farmed fish are one of the main problems that negatively affect the production enterprises in terms of economic, biological and animal health. Fish with skeletal deformities in hatcheries are considered as non-economic individuals and are therefore detected and removed manually from the production tanks, which is a time consuming and laborious work for the facilities. Since the formation of abnormalities in the skeletal structure of the fish during the early growth period cause reduced swimming ability or speed that prevent fish to compete during feeding. Further, since deformed fish has no market value, even the share of a small amount of feed among deformed fish will reduce the feed conversion for the market targeted individuals within the culture tank that in terms may increase the production cost per fish. Therefore, in culture conditions it is important to remove the deformed fish from the tank environment by quickly determining those fellows at the early stage of growth. The present study evaluates the effects of water velocity on swimming behavior of juvenile seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and provides a solution for a rapid identification -and mechanical removal of deformed fish from the culture environment by using swimming speed slowdown -and behavioral differences as an indicator of deformation.

Listeria monocytogenes is a food pathogen responsible for listeriosis, a relevant disease in public health worldwide. The genus Listeria spp., corresponds to cosmopolitan bacteria and capable of surviving different adverse conditions, which increases the risk for the food to be contaminated at any stage of the food chain. Fish and fish products are foods of high production level and, due to their chemical or nutritional composition, are highly susceptible to deterioration and contamination by pathogens in their productive chain relating to cases of listeriosis. Derived from the incidence and human mortality due to causative agents of listeriosis, along with their resistance to antimicrobials, they have acquired a greater emphasis on human health, animal health and food industry, resulting in the implementation of safety systems such as good hygiene practices, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, analytical methods and microbiological criteria, as some of the actions to contribute to the food safety and public health protection. The purpose of this review document is to provide, in a general way, aspects involved in foodborne illnesses, specifically listeriosis and its association with fish as a transmitting food, considering the prevention and control measures of this disease through food. It also includes aspects related to antimicrobial resistance by bacterial isolates obtained from fish, their implications and health risks.

The aquaculture industry in the Middle East (ME) is still relatively new compared to other parts of the world, making this region highly dependent on other countries for the production of food and feed needs. Aquaculture activities in the world at current is mainly focused in China; this may be propelled by its own internal demand for seafood as determined by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Challenges faced in the ME has not been elucidated so far and the issues arising might be unique only to this region due to aquaculture being in the initial stages coupled with water access and limitations, climate and geography, in addition to pollution. This review paper will present and discuss global needs for seafood focusing later on the needs in the ME, followed by a discourse into the importance, types and challenges of aquaculture in the ME. Baseline knowledge and infrastructure to enhance knowledge is a pressing need at this stage of infancy. It is hope this sector will continue to develop, and with the support of stakeholders, aquaculture in the ME will achieve a state of independence.

Total catches of fish from the wild reached a plateau in the early 1990s. Capture fishery production for both food and non-food utilization has levelled off. There is need for aquaculture expansion and improved output. The aim of this study was to determine the most productive facility for production of Heterobranchus bidorsalis. H. bidorsalis is the most important species from the genus Heterobranchus. It is endemic to Africa. Seven hundred H. bidorsalis fingerlings were acclimatized for 7 days, 200 fingerlings were randomly selected and stocked in: Earthen ponds, Concrete tanks, and Plastic tanks labelled as T1, T2 and T3 respectively. Each treatment had two replicates, 100 fingerlings in each. The culture facilities were constructed to have water volume which was not significantly different. The earthen ponds, concrete and plastic tanks water volume was maintained at 2,320 litres, 2,304 litres, and 2,331 litres respectively. Fingerlings were fed with 2mm Coppens of 45% crude protein at 5% biomass. Feeding was carried out at 9:00 and 16:00 hours for 56 days. All treatments were given equal care. Final Standard Length, Final Total Length, Total Length Gain, Final weight Gain and Weight Gain recorded were: 13.04±0.57, 13.44±0.75, 32±0.96, 4.45±1.34, 30.36±1.13 and 23.34±2.4 respectively. Growth was significantly higher in T1. In concrete and plastic tanks, observed growth parameters recorded had the following values: 11.75±0.82 and 11.21±0.83, 12.31±0.85 and 11.95±0.89, 3.2±0.96 and 2.84±0.85, 22.24±2.78 and 21.24±5.84, and 14.85±1.7 and 14.99±1.02 for Final Standard Length, Final Total Length, Total Length Gain, Final Weight and Weight Gain respectively. There was no significance difference in growth between T2 and T3. The study did not discourage the use of concrete tanks and plastic tanks for H. bidorsalis culture, but considered earthen ponds as most ideal culture facility for yields optimization in H. bidorsalis.