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Animals
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Environmental Enrichment for Aquatic Animals in Husbandry Environments
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Environmental Enrichment for Aquatic Animals in Husbandry Environments

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2024 | Viewed by 11061

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zonghang Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, China
Interests: aquaculture; fisheries; hatchery release; fish behavior; animal welfare; animal personality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Xiumei Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fisheries College, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, China
Interests: aquaculture; fish behavior; fish biology; fish ecology; fisheries biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquatic animals are reared for many reasons, including food supply, hatchery release, animal conservation, scientific research, public ornamentation, and private hobbies. In recent years, the welfare of aquatic animals has received increasing attention from animal protection organizations, government departments, biologists, fish culturists, zookeepers, and the public. Environmental enrichment, which refers to a method of improving animal welfare and biological functions through a deliberate increase in environmental heterogeneity and complexity, has shown huge potential for meeting the requirements of both aquatic animals and human owners. This Special Issue aims to give an overview of the most recent advances in the field of environmental enrichment for diverse aquatic animal taxa (e.g., fish, crustacea, mammals). This Special Issue aims to provide selected contributions on advances in the designs, fundamentals, and applications of environmental enrichment strategy. Potential topics include but are not limited to:

  • The designs of environmental enrichment strategy in practical productions, including aquaculture, hatchery release programs, zoos, and other scenarios;
  • The effects of environmental enrichment on diverse levels of biological functions of aquatic animals;
  • The regulatory mechanisms of environmental enrichment on animal phenotypes;
  • The integrated analyses of the biological, economic, and social outcomes of environmental enrichment.

Dr. Zonghang Zhang
Prof. Dr. Xiumei Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental enrichment
  • aquatic animal
  • animal welfare
  • biological function
  • animal behaviour
  • aquaculture
  • hatchery release
  • biological conservation
  • zoo management

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3628 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Enrichment on Zoo-Housed Scarlet Ibis Behavior
by Patrícia Rachinas-Lopes, Inês C. Rocha, Tiago Dias, Maria Tavares, Ricardo Neto, Carla Flanagan and João Neves
Animals 2024, 14(13), 1903; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14131903 - 27 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1458
Abstract
Good zoo animal welfare is commonly promoted with environmental enrichment; however, some species are less likely to be offered enrichment than others. This study tested the effect of enrichment on a group of scarlet ibises from Zoomarine Algarve, Portugal. The study consisted of [...] Read more.
Good zoo animal welfare is commonly promoted with environmental enrichment; however, some species are less likely to be offered enrichment than others. This study tested the effect of enrichment on a group of scarlet ibises from Zoomarine Algarve, Portugal. The study consisted of a first baseline condition, followed by four types of enrichment displays with individual presentations, a post-enrichment condition, and a post-enrichment with all enrichment types presented simultaneously. The enrichment types chosen were physical, with a tidal simulation in the lakes of the enclosure; nutritional, presenting mussels in a plastic mesh tube; sensory, by playing scarlet ibises calls; and tactile, with brushes through the habitat. The data collection was performed for 21 days between January and March 2021, 3 times a day, using scan sampling and instantaneous time sampling every 2 min. The comparison between conditions revealed that most behaviors showed similarity between the baseline and post-enrichment conditions, suggesting that after removing the enrichment, the behaviors returned to their initial baseline. It was also found that each enrichment influenced different types of behaviors and these behaviors also changed depending on the time of day. Exploratory behavior was only associated with the presence of enrichment, and vocalizations were only heard after the sensory enrichment was performed. This study demonstrates that the use of physical and tactile enrichments increased activity and decreased stationary behaviors in this group of ibises and may be used to improve their lives in zoological contexts if included in the housing and husbandry protocols. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Enrichment for Aquatic Animals in Husbandry Environments)
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11 pages, 1680 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Ecological Conversion Efficiency of Chub Mackerel, Somber japonicus, in Wild Conditions Based on an In Situ Enriched Simulation Method
by Xin Sun, Miao Yu, Qisheng Tang and Yao Sun
Animals 2023, 13(20), 3159; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13203159 - 10 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1008
Abstract
Understanding the ecological conversion efficiency of a fish species can be used to estimate the potential impact of the marine food web and accordingly provides scientific advice to ecosystem-based fishery management. However, only laboratory experiments may limit the accuracy of determining this index. [...] Read more.
Understanding the ecological conversion efficiency of a fish species can be used to estimate the potential impact of the marine food web and accordingly provides scientific advice to ecosystem-based fishery management. However, only laboratory experiments may limit the accuracy of determining this index. In this study, food ingestion and ecological conversion efficiency of wild chub mackerel (Somber japonicus), a typical marine pelagic fish, were determined with gastric evacuation method in laboratory and in situ enriched simulation conditions. Additionally, the effect of temperature and body weight on ecological conversion efficiency was further estimated based on the 2D interpolation method. The results showed that, at 25.1 °C, the ecological conversion efficiency determined in-lab (35.31%) was significantly higher than in situ (23.85%). Moreover, the interpolation model estimated that with an increase in temperature (10–27 °C), the ecological conversion efficiency initially decreased, followed by an increase when the temperature reached 18 °C, but the ecological conversion efficiency generally decreased against the body weight at each temperature. The findings of this study enhanced the understanding of the energy budget of chub mackerel and also provided an efficient method for the determination of wild fishes that are difficult to sample in situ and domesticate in the laboratory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Enrichment for Aquatic Animals in Husbandry Environments)
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14 pages, 4231 KiB  
Article
Effects of Two Environmental Enrichment Methods on Cognitive Ability and Growth Performance of Juvenile Black Rockfish Sebastes schlegelii
by Fengyuan Shen, Zonghang Zhang, Haoyu Guo, Yiqiu Fu, Dong Zhang and Xiumei Zhang
Animals 2023, 13(13), 2131; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13132131 - 27 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1389
Abstract
A widely used approach to restoring marine fishery resources is stock enhancement using hatchery-reared fish. However, artificial rearing environments, which are often lacking in enrichment, may negatively affect the cognition, welfare, and adaptive capacity to new environments of juvenile fish, thereby leading to [...] Read more.
A widely used approach to restoring marine fishery resources is stock enhancement using hatchery-reared fish. However, artificial rearing environments, which are often lacking in enrichment, may negatively affect the cognition, welfare, and adaptive capacity to new environments of juvenile fish, thereby leading to low post-release survival rates. This study examined the effects of habitat and social enrichment on the growth performance and cognitive ability of Sebastes schlegelii. Following seven weeks of environmental enrichment, a T-maze experiment was conducted, and the telencephalon and visceral mass of the fish were sampled to measure the growth (growth hormone: GH; insulin-like growth factor-1: IGF-1; and somatostatin: SS) and cognitive abilities (brain-derived neurotrophic factor: BDNF; and nerve growth factor: NGF)-related indicator levels. The results indicated that, although the final body length, final body weight, and specific growth rate of both enrichment groups were lower than those of the control group, both methods of enrichment had a positive impact on growth-related factors (increased GH, increased IGF-1, and decreased SS). The enrichment groups demonstrated a stronger learning ability in the T-maze test, and the levels of BDNF and NGF in the telencephalon were significantly higher in the enrichment groups than those in the control group. Additionally, there was a significant interaction between the two enrichment methods on the NGF level. This study confirms that a more complex and enriching environment is beneficial for cultivating the cognitive abilities of cultured juvenile S. schlegelii, and the result can provide a reference for the improvement of the stock enhancement of this species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Enrichment for Aquatic Animals in Husbandry Environments)
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14 pages, 1394 KiB  
Article
Effects of Environmental Enrichment on the Behavior of Octopus vulgaris in a Recirculating Aquaculture System
by Antonio Casalini, Laura Gentile, Pietro Emmanuele, Riccardo Brusa, Alberto Elmi, Albamaria Parmeggiani, Livio Galosi, Alessandra Roncarati and Oliviero Mordenti
Animals 2023, 13(11), 1862; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13111862 - 2 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2693
Abstract
Octopus vulgaris is a commercially valuable species. It is overexploited in the natural environment and is considered to be an innovative species for aquaculture. However, large-scale farming is generally designed only based on economic requirements, disregarding any form of enrichment that induces the [...] Read more.
Octopus vulgaris is a commercially valuable species. It is overexploited in the natural environment and is considered to be an innovative species for aquaculture. However, large-scale farming is generally designed only based on economic requirements, disregarding any form of enrichment that induces the natural behavior of aquatic species. Although many studies have shown the influence of environmental enrichment on terrestrial vertebrates, fish, and cephalopod mollusks, information on the effect of environmental enrichment on the body patterns of O. vulgaris is limited. Therefore, in this study, we assessed how different environmental conditions (Basic vs. Enriched) affect sub-adults of O. vulgaris kept in recirculation systems, through qualitative–quantitative studies of the main body patterns and their potential application in the commercial production of this species. The results indicated that octopuses kept in the enriched environment showed several body patterns and gained a significantly higher weight than those kept in the basic environment. The body patterns displayed by the individuals kept in the basic environment were similar to those exhibited under situations of hostility and inter/intra-specific conflict. Hence, the environment of octopuses needs to be enriched, especially for the large-scale production of this species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Enrichment for Aquatic Animals in Husbandry Environments)
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17 pages, 22287 KiB  
Article
Differences in the Natural Swimming Behavior of Schizothorax prenanti Individual and Schooling in Spatially Heterogeneous Turbulent Flows
by Minne Li, Min Chen, Weixiong Wu, Jia Li and Ruidong An
Animals 2023, 13(6), 1025; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13061025 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1591
Abstract
Spatially heterogeneous turbulent flow refers to nonuniform flow with coexisting multiple flow velocities, which is widely distributed in fish natural or husbandry environments, and its hydraulic parameters affect fish swimming behavior. In this study, a complex hydrodynamic environment with three flow velocity regions [...] Read more.
Spatially heterogeneous turbulent flow refers to nonuniform flow with coexisting multiple flow velocities, which is widely distributed in fish natural or husbandry environments, and its hydraulic parameters affect fish swimming behavior. In this study, a complex hydrodynamic environment with three flow velocity regions (low, medium, and high) coexisting in an open-channel flume was designed to explore volitional swimming ability, the spatial-temporal distribution of fish swimming trajectories, and the range of preferred hydrodynamic parameters of Schizothorax prenanti individual and schooling (three fish). The results showed that the swimming speed of individual fish during upstream migration was significantly higher than that of fish schools (p < 0.05). The swimming trajectories of fish schooling showed that they spent more time synchronously exploring the flow environment during upstream migration compared with individual fish. By superimposing the fish swimming trajectories on the environmental flow field, the range of hydrodynamic environments preferred by fish in complex flow fields was quantified. This research provides a novel approach for investigating the natural swimming behavior of fish species, and a theoretical reference for the restoration of fish natural habitats or flow enrichment of husbandry environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Enrichment for Aquatic Animals in Husbandry Environments)
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23 pages, 4534 KiB  
Article
Government Guidance Fund Empowers the Supply Chain Financing Decision of Marine Ranching Considering Environmental Enrichment and Friendliness
by Xiaole Wan, Zhengwei Teng, Jilai Song, Yao Zhai and Kuncheng Zhang
Animals 2023, 13(5), 897; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13050897 - 1 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1782
Abstract
The construction of marine ranching is a concrete practice to fulfil the strategic objective of China’s maritime power. The shortage of funds has turned into an important issue to be resolved urgently in the modernization of marine ranching. This study constructs a supply [...] Read more.
The construction of marine ranching is a concrete practice to fulfil the strategic objective of China’s maritime power. The shortage of funds has turned into an important issue to be resolved urgently in the modernization of marine ranching. This study constructs a supply chain system, involving a leading enterprise of marine ranching with short funds and a retailer, and introduces the government guidance fund to solve the issue of capital shortage. Then, we discuss the supply chain financing decision under two different power structure modes, and analyze the product environmental attribute (the product’s environmental friendliness and the environmental enrichment) and the guiding effect of government investment on the operation of different modes. The research shows that: (1) The wholesale price of products is mainly influenced by the dominant position of the marine ranching leading enterprise. Furthermore, the wholesale price and the marine ranching company’s profits increase with the growth of the product environmental attribute. (2) The retailer’s profit and the supply chain system’s profit are mainly affected by the dominant power of the retailer and are positively correlated with the product environmental attribute. In addition, the supply chain system’s overall profits are negatively related to the guiding effect of government investment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Enrichment for Aquatic Animals in Husbandry Environments)
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