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.

Kenya’s inland aquaculture sector is one of the most productive in Africa. Efforts are currently being made at the national level to expand and intensify the sector. Despite the drive to develop Kenyan inland aquaculture, the sector continues to encounter barriers to sustainability and economic profitability. Fish welfare is also highly neglected which has implications for fish health and overall sector productivity. This review documents the current state of inland aquaculture in Kenya, covering its considerable growth since 2009 to the current day and looking at both intensive and extensive forms of fish farming, paying special attention to the challenges faced in terms of animal welfare. Given that the inland aquaculture sector in Kenya has been earmarked for further rapid growth, with considerable economic and strategic support in place to foster this, some of the core issues of sustainability must be recognised and addressed. This review focuses on one of those, namely animal welfare.

Skin pigmentation is a crucial factor influencing the market value of gilthead seabream. A three-month feeding trial evaluated the effects of dietary inclusion of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa on skin and fillet pigmentation of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Four diets containing yeast were tested in triplicate tanks using 120 fish in total. Skin and fillet colours were assessed via computer-based image analysis in CIELAB, RGB and HSB spaces. Analysis of total carotenoids was also performed. Yeast inclusion increased L* and Whiteness values in the operculum and enhanced lightness in ventral skin regions. In the abdominal area, RGB values decreased, particularly in the 3% diet. Fillet responses were limited to the red muscle, where the 3% diet significantly increased a* and Chroma values. Overall, inclusion of R. mucilaginosa exceeding 2% influenced seabream skin brightness and total carotenoid content, while 3% inclusion enhanced red muscle pigmentation, suggesting potential as a natural pigment source in seabream feeds.

The growing demand for sustainable aquaculture practices underscores the need for innovative solutions that not only improve health and performance but also enhance disease resistance. Lysozyme is an enzyme with antimicrobial activity that can be found in various tissues. Its immunomodulatory properties have been shown to have promising results in terrestrial animals, particularly enhancing growth performance, gut health and immune response. Nevertheless, its application in aquaculture remains underexplored. This review compiles current existing evidence on dietary supplementation of exogenous lysozyme in aquatic animals, drawing insights from studies in monogastric livestock. Additionally, it collects the limited available evidence regarding the use of exogenous lysozyme in fish and shrimp. Finally, this review highlights the potential limitations related to the use of lysozyme as a functional additive in aquafeeds.

Created in November 2023 and founded in October 2024, NOWA Network of Women in Aquaculture is a social entrepreneurship initiative dedicated to promoting gender equality, sustainability and inclusivity across the global aquaculture industry. Our initiatives focus on providing training, resources, and support to women in the aquaculture industry, empowering them to lead and thrive. NOWA's journey began in June 2023 during a transformative training session in Athens, facilitated by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the FAO, along with FEAP and HAPO, to implement the GFCM Resolution GFCM/45/2022/1 on empowering women in aquaculture. This pivotal event brought together eleven women from the Mediterranean and Black Sea and with diverse backgrounds i.e. students, researchers, and entrepreneurs, all driven by a shared commitment to sustainable aquaculture. Under the expert guidance of these leading international organisations, the participants recognized a significant gap in the industry: the need for a dedicated network to support and empower women in aquaculture. This realisation laid the foundation for NOWA, aimed at bridging these gaps by providing a global platform for support, training, and advocacy, transforming the aquaculture industry from within.As a non-profit organisation, we advocate for gender equality, sustainable aquaculture practices, and the importance of women's leadership in the industry. We raise awareness about the challenges and opportunities for women in aquaculture. The founding members of NOWA are a group of inspiring women, each a leader in her own right, representing the diverse sectors of aquaculture and fisheries across the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. We bring together a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion to drive the mission of NOWA.Through the development of mentoring programs, training courses, and networking opportunities, NOWA is committed to building a strong and supportive network for women in aquaculture and transforming the aquaculture industry, ensuring that women’s contributions are recognized and valued. Our mission is to contribute to creating a future where women play a leading role in driving positive change in aquaculture, managing healthy marine ecosystems, offering comprehensive scientific insights, and providing food security. We envision a world where women have equal access to resources, representation in decision-making processes, and are recognized as key stakeholders in the sustainable development of aquaculture.For this reason, we firmly believe that our participation in the One Ocean Science Congress will provide valuable insights by amplifying the voices of women working in aquaculture, highlighting their technical and scientific contributions to addressing the critical challenges facing our oceans. By doing so, we aim to enrich the dialogue with innovative solutions and a holistic approach, fostering stronger connections among science, society, action, and policy. This will also promote broader engagement with civil society. To further this goal, we propose organising a roundtable to involve other experts present at the event in the discussion.