36 Feed Technology
Gut health: A focal point of Chinese aquaculture The importance of gut health for fish and shrimp and measures to avoid gut enteritis By Yufan Zhang
A fish farm in Zhejiang province, China
A
quaculture plays a significant role in supplying high-quality aquatic animal products? to the global population, and its importance has grown in recent years, particularly in China. If we compare coastline length/ national territory area, China ranks only 94th globally. Combined with the pressure to feed her population, it is not hard to understand why the biggest country in East Asia needs to rely heavily on aquaculture. In 2019, the total aquaculture production in China was about 50 million tonnes. However, at the same time, the wastes from aquaculture processes and their consequences to the environment have become more prominent, resulting in frequent outbreaks of aquatic animal diseases.
The physiological function of the gut
The gut is the main peptic and biggest immune organ in fish and shrimp. Damage to the gut can lead to decreased appetite, high incidence of disease, slow development, reduced ability to digest and absorb nutrients and many more. Although the gut has many functions, digestion and absorption are among the most important. Fish and shrimp do not have intestinal glands like mammals. Still, as the most complex secretory organs, the gut of aquatic animals secretes the necessary digestive enzymes through goblet cells to aid in digestion and absorption. It is also a critical immune organ. The abundant folds of the intestines make
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November/December 2021 AQUA Culture Asia Pacific
Pellet
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