We are pleased to launch Women in Aquaculture, an open-access “Women in” article collection celebrating the scientific excellence, leadership, and impact of women working across the full breadth of aquaculture research and innovation. We aim to showcase outstanding contributions—from fundamental biology to engineering, nutrition, health, ecology, and socioeconomics—while helping to strengthen visibility, opportunity, and representation for women in aquaculture worldwide.

Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in many STEM disciplines and leadership roles. Persistent biases, unequal access to resources and networks, and structural barriers can limit career progression and recognition. At the same time, aquaculture is rapidly evolving; expanding technologies, intensification and diversification, climate pressures, biosecurity challenges, and sustainability expectations are reshaping the field.

Women in Aquaculture therefore serves two complementary aims:

1. Celebrate and elevate the research achievements of women in aquaculture.

2. Accelerate progress toward sustainable, responsible aquaculture systems by featuring high-quality, forward-looking science and solutions.

We welcome submissions across all cultivated aquatic organisms (finfish, shellfish, crustaceans, seaweeds and other algae, and emerging species) and all production environments (freshwater, brackish, marine; extensive to intensive; land-based and offshore). The collection embraces interdisciplinary work spanning biology, technology, environment, economics, and policy.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Aquaculture sustainability and water stewardship (water use efficiency, effluents, nutrient cycling, circularity)

• Systems and technologies (RAS, IMTA, aquaponics, offshore aquaculture, precision/digital aquaculture, sensors, AI/ML applications)

• Fish and shellfish health (diagnostics, immunology, vaccines, AMR, biosecurity, welfare, epidemiology)

• Genetics and breeding (genomics, selective breeding, biotechnology, performance, and resilience traits)

• Nutrition and feeds (novel ingredients, feed efficiency, functional feeds, lifecycle impacts)

• Physiology, reproduction, and larval rearing (developmental biology, stress physiology, broodstock management)

• Environmental interactions (biodiversity, escapes, disease ecology, benthic impacts, carrying capacity, spatial planning)

• Climate change adaptation and mitigation (heat tolerance, extreme events, decarbonization, blue foods)

• Socioeconomics, governance, and policy (value chains, certification, livelihoods, labor, equity, community outcomes)

• One Health/ecosystem approaches connecting water quality, animal health, and human wellbeing

• Methods and advances (new tools, protocols, datasets, modelling approaches, meta-analyses)

To be considered for this collection, the first or last author should be a researcher who identifies as a woman.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Women in Aquaculture