Effects of Salinity on Growth, Hormonal and Enzymatic Status in Fish: A Review

There has recently been an increasing interest in seafood products due to the growing awareness of their nutraceutical value. However, marine-based products are highly dependent on environmental conditions. Among other factors, many studies have reported an influence of water salinity on different aspect of fish physiology. In different studies, effect of different levels of marine salinity on growth factors, hormonal and enzymatic status, tissue histopathology and related gene expression have been investigated. Changes in growth rate, which depend on salinity, result from an action on 1. standard metabolic rate, 2. food intake, 3. food conversion, and or 4. hormonal stimulation. Numerous studies reported the best range of salinity for better fish physiology performance but these domains in different species and different places are different. In this review, we considered all of these factors and discuss the effects of marine salinity on growth factors in different species