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401 scientific, veterinary and regulatory news items.

Aquatic containment: follow water to the final discharge

Research facilities Biosecurity Practical guide 31 October 2026

Fish pathogen research requires containment of tanks, drains, sludge and cleaning water. Canadian aquatic standards and US biosafety guidance offer useful risk assessment principles, but their level names and legal scopes cannot be transferred automatically to another country.

Fish ultrasound: what lies behind a fluid-filled lesion?

Public aquariums Diagnostics Practical guide 31 October 2026

A fluid-filled appearance cannot establish the cause of a lesion or exclude a tumour. A common carp case from a public aquarium illustrates how follow-up imaging, complementary modalities and careful sampling can change the diagnostic interpretation.

Pumpkinseed warming risk: follow the young fish

Environment Ecology and environment Species profile 31 October 2026

Warmer water may produce larger young pumpkinseed before winter without increasing their number. A British pond experiment and French invasive-species resources show why reproduction, recruitment and local ecological impact need separate measurements.

Salmonid ichthyobodosis: recognise it without overidentifying

Aquaculture Diseases Disease profile 31 October 2026

Excess mucus and increased ventilation cannot diagnose ichthyobodosis on their own. Fresh skin and gill preparations may reveal Ichthyobodo, but identifying the species requires stronger evidence, as research separating I. necator from I. salmonis demonstrates.

Abalone broodstock: comparing oils beyond weight gain

Aquaculture Nutrition Practical guide 30 October 2026

Weight gain alone cannot establish whether a feed suits abalone broodstock. A 2025 trial compared five lipid sources in female Haliotis discus hannai. The findings distinguish growth, egg production and larval outcomes separately, rather than naming one oil as universally superior.

Common cuttlefish: prey timing changes feeding choices

Public aquariums Nutrition Practical guide 30 October 2026

A cuttlefish may leave one prey item when a preferred alternative becomes predictable. A 2020 study involving French and British researchers found flexible feeding choices in Sepia officinalis. For aquarium teams, the findings make the feeding record relevant to a missed meal while leaving health assessment essential.

Planarians: light wavelength changes the observed response

Research facilities Research and innovation Practical guide 30 October 2026

In Schmidtea mediterranea, initial escape and final position can give different answers. A 2014 study compared responses to several light wavelengths. The findings show why teams need to document both illumination and observation time in behavioural experiments.

Salmonid habitats: tracking thermal contrasts around dams

Environment Ecology and environment Practical guide 30 October 2026

A stream can develop lower daytime peaks without a lower daily mean. A 2017 Oregon study separated this buffering from local cool patches associated with groundwater exchange. Assessing salmonid habitat requires observations at both reach and channel scales.

A cloudy fish eye: locate the abnormality first

Public aquariums Diagnostics Practical guide 29 October 2026

Corneal clouding, a cataract and a protruding eye describe different abnormalities. In public aquariums, locating the change and assessing feeding help direct the examination. A small surgical case series shows why outcome estimates need careful interpretation.

eDNA: measuring diversity within a fish species

Environment Ecology and environment Practical guide 29 October 2026

A water sample can contain several genetic variants from the same fish species. Detecting them is only the first step: estimating genetic diversity, and then testing whether it has declined, requires suitable markers, controls and comparable sampling.

Farm resistomes: interpreting detected resistance genes

Aquaculture Health prevention Scientific news 29 October 2026

A Mediterranean study tracks resistance genes in gilthead sea bream and their farming environment. These findings can guide surveillance, but detecting a gene does not establish which bacterium carries it or whether a treatment will fail.

Zebrafish breeding: plan cohorts to reduce surplus fish

Research facilities Animal welfare Practical guide 29 October 2026

Reducing surplus zebrafish starts before a breeding cross is set up. Experimental demand, required genotypes, replacement breeders and rearing capacity need to be considered together. Reduction under the 3Rs cannot be achieved by accepting poorer survival or care.