Monitoring and managing microbes in aquaculture – Towards a sustainable industry

Abstract

SummaryMicroorganisms are of great importance to aquaculture where they occur naturally, and can be added artificially, fulfilling different roles. They recycle nutrients, degrade organic matter and, occasionally, they infect and kill the fish, their larvae or the live feed. Also, some microorganisms may protect fish and larvae against disease. Hence, monitoring and manipulating the microbial communities in aquaculture environments hold great potential; both in terms of assessing and improving water quality, but also in terms of controlling the development of microbial infections. Using microbial communities to monitor water quality and to efficiently carry out ecosystem services within the aquaculture systems may only be a few years away. Initially, however, we need to thoroughly understand the microbiomes of both healthy and diseased aquaculture systems, and we need to determine how to successfully manipulate and engineer these microbiomes. Similarly, we can reduce the need to apply antibiotics in aquaculture through manipulation of the microbiome, i.e. by the use of probiotic bacteria. Recent studies have demonstrated that fish pathogenic bacteria in live feed can be controlled by probiotics and that mortality of infected fish larvae can be reduced significantly by probiotic bacteria. However, the successful management of the aquaculture microbiota is currently hampered by our lack of knowledge of relevant microbial interactions and the overall ecology of these systems.

Changes in the gut microbiome of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) in response to White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection

“…Indeed, members of these families have been widely applied in controlling crustacean disease. Members of Bacillus , Bifidobacterium , Enterococcus , Lactobacillus , Lactococcus , Nitrosomonas , Paracoccus and Streptococcus can be important probiotics in crustacean aquaculture (Bentzon‐Tilia, Sonnenschein & Gram ).…”

Administration of Probiotics in the Water in Finfish Aquaculture Systems: A Review

“…Therefore, the application of eco-friendly feed additives, such as microbial supplements, to improve the physiology, growth performance, and immune responses of aquaculture-related species have gained much more attention during recent years [3][4][5]. Naturally-occurring microorganisms play a key role in aquatic environments, as they can fulfil a wide range of roles, including recycling nutrients, degrading organic matter, and protecting fish against infections [6]. All these roles conduced to use these microorganisms in aquaculture and the development of probiotics.…”

Rapid Detection and Monitoring of Flavobacterium psychrophilum in Water by Using a Handheld, Field‐Portable Quantitative PCR System

“…In aquaculture, the health status of farmed stocks is often directly linked to the microbe composition within the aquatic environment (Bentzon‐Tilia et al. ). Microbes, which are ubiquitous, can be beneficial or detrimental to aquaculture stocks because of the important roles they serve.…”