Presentations by young Chinese aquaculture scientists: From the 2021 China Society of Fisheries—Annual Conference of Youth Scholars

Abstract

Young scientists are the most active force driving scientific advancement and technological innovation. Nonetheless, young scholars also face challenges such as heavy workloads, shortage of research-focused hours, high competition in grant application, and securing an academic job, among others. Mentorship from supervisors and senior peers is important to encourage and reassure the scientific endeavors of young scholars. Favorable policies and activities arranged by public agencies or academic societies are also essential for nurturing and promoting the successful establishment of young scholars. Chinese young scientists have been making great contributions to aquaculture research and applications. The China Society of Fisheries organized the Annual Conference of Youth Scholars in Shanghai on October 18, 2021. There were over 300 attendees to this meeting, which covered the topics of aquaculture techniques and equipment, biotechnologies and breeding, nutrition and feeds, diseases and quality security, aquaculture resources and conservation, and aquaculture economy and management. Here, we summarize some representative work by the attendees who were selected for this special issue, which partially reflects the recent research focus on young aquaculture scientists in China.The healthy and sustainable development of aquaculture depends heavily on research on nutritional feeds in terms of precise nutritional requirements of aquatic animals. The largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, characterized by its fast growth and delicious taste, is currently a major species of freshwater aquaculture in China. According to the China Fishery Statistical Yearbook report, the total production of farmed largemouth bass in 2020 was more than 619,500 tons, and the national demand for this fish is also increasing yearly (China Fishery Yearbook, 2021). To date, the requirement of each vitamin of the largemouth bass has its own specific and irreplaceable function, so it is necessary to investigate the optimal level of usage one by one. The requirement for fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins