Open research questions in Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies

What the literature leaves open

• The study highlights the need for further research on the variables affecting reproductive success in dog conch populations. The study identifies a need for more information on the condition factor, length at first sexual maturity, and fecundity of dog conch species.

  Reproductive Biology of Dog Conch (Strombus spp. Linnaeus, 1758) · 2026 · DOI

• The study only examined abalone gut microbiota in urchin-barren habitats in South Korea. The research did not investigate the effects of other factors on microbiota variation. The study used a limited number of sampling sites and sampling periods.

  Geochemical factors associated with seasonal shifts in the abalone gut microbiota across urchin-barren habitats · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of understanding of the relationships between geochemical factors and microbiota in abalone. The impacts of seasonal shifts on abalone gut microbiota are not well understood. The study aims to address this knowledge gap.

  Geochemical factors associated with seasonal shifts in the abalone gut microbiota across urchin-barren habitats · 2026 · DOI

• The study does not explicitly state the research gap. However, it implies that there is a need to understand the reproductive schedule and larval occurrence of Manila clams in the Laizhou Bay Nature Reserve.

  Gonad Development and Larvae Distribution of the Manila Clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) in the Laizhou Bay Nature Reserve · 2026 · DOI

• The research highlights the need to consider food loss and waste in the seafood supply chain.

  Mitigating GHG emissions from UK salmon by reducing losses through frozen as opposed to chilled supply. · 2026 · DOI

• Improving growth performance in Pacific abalone remains a major challenge for stable production. The study had to integrate transcriptome and GWAS data from high-growth and low-growth groups. The analysis had to consider the limited functional genomic and regulatory annotation information in Pacific abalone.

  Integrative Transcriptome and GWAS Analyses Reveal Growth-Associated Molecular Architecture in Pacific Abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of seaweed-specific policies and weak biosecurity measures. Regulatory frameworks often rely on customized license conditions rather than sector-specific regulations. There is a need for improved regulatory coordination and stronger biosecurity measures.

  Ecological risks and emergent governance needs in seaweed aquaculture · 2026 · DOI

• Prior studies have investigated the impacts of warming on Arctic coastal biodiversity, but the effects on the hybrid zone stability are not well understood.

  No effect of interspecific thermal tolerance on the stability of a blue mussel, Mytilus sp., hybrid zone · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of community-led, gender-inclusive governance in the sector. The need for the integration of traditional local knowledge with modern digital tools.

  Technological Innovations in Small-Scale Artisanal Fisheries: A Systematic Literature Review of Opportunities, Barriers, and Future Directions · 2026 · DOI

• The ecological dynamics and biological uptake of microfibres in tropical lagoons remain poorly characterised. There is a lack of research on microfibre contamination in fish from Ghanaian coastal lagoons. The study aims to address this knowledge gap.

  Anthropogenic and seasonal signatures of microfibre contamination in fish from two Ghanaian coastal lagoons · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of information on the economic viability of industrial shrimp fisheries on the Amazon Continental Shelf. Prior studies have focused on biological parameters, with limited consideration of economic information.

  How do government subsidies affect the economic viability of industrial shrimp fisheries on the Amazon Continental Shelf? · 2026 · DOI

• Conventional visual inspection has limitations, including subjectivity and variability. The need for an objective and efficient method for quality control and export suitability assessment.

  A Comparative Study of CNN Models for Determining Complete Visceral Removal in Cooked Scallops for Export · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to track the long-term health impacts of bioaerosol and chemical exposures in this workforce.

  Occupational health and safety risks in the global seafood and aquaculture industry: a systematic review of physical, biological, and psychosocial hazards · 2026 · DOI

• The findings of this review point to several areas where future research and management efforts could substantially strengthen the resilience of oyster aquaculture systems. Rather than offering general prescriptions, we outline directions that emerge directly from the gaps and patterns identified in our analysis.

  A Scoping Review: Operationalization of Resilience Principles to Address Stressors in Oyster Aquaculture · 2026 · DOI

• The study highlights the lack of regulatory measures for the capture of certain species. The research notes the challenge of weather conditions preventing fishers from fishing, leading them to undertake additional activities.

  The Resource, Users’ Socio-economic Status, and Governance in Coastal Marine Benthic Mollusk fisheries in Costa Grande, Guerrero, Mexico · 2026 · DOI

• It reveals that although citizens’ involvement in the EU blue economy is perceived as a necessity, the integration of public participation in aquaculture-specific policies is lacking.

  Visions of public participation in EU aquaculture policy · 2026 · DOI

• The gap in knowledge is the understanding of how shell shape variation in Phorcus sauciatus is influenced by environmental factors in Gran Canaria. The study aims to fill this gap by investigating shell shape variation across contrasting coastal orientations and substrate types.

  Deciphering mollusc body shape adaptations to varying hydrodynamic conditions and substrate types · 2026 · DOI

• Post-harvest management remains a critical challenge in fish value chains, particularly for small-scale fisheries. Inadequate cooling, poor handling, and limited storage infrastructure lead to significant physical and quality losses.

  Fish value chain analysis: a scoping review · 2026 · DOI

• Regnerative food systems, from this review, show engagement with the dimensions of views and practices but arguably leaves scope for additional work on the role of structures, including the social, economic and governance systems that may support the transformative shift toward regenerative food systems.

  Cultivating regenerative aquaculture: a conceptual framework based on a review of regenerative food systems literature · 2026 · DOI

• Although this preliminary study was limited by the number of sampled farms and the temporal resolution of sampling, it cautiously proposes frequent water exchange, stocking-density optimization, carp integration, increased feeding frequency, and enhanced farmers’ knowledge as possible options to reduce emissions but warrants further longitudinal investigation.

  A preliminary field-based assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from prawn aquaculture ponds in Bangladesh: effects of farm management and water quality · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identified that integrating fecundity, GSI, and maturity metrics provides a framework for evaluating population resilience, but did not validate whether the Lm50 thresholds derived from this study dataset would remain predictive under future climate scenarios (temperature increase, ocean acidification, hypoxia) affecting reproductive physiology in these tropical gastropod species.

  Reproductive Biology of Dog Conch (Strombus spp. Linnaeus, 1758) · 2026 · DOI

• Further monitoring of benthic resources and size composition, - Investigation of the impact of water quality on Manila clam populations, - Study of the reproductive cycle of other bivalve…

  Gonad Development and Larvae Distribution of the Manila Clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) in the Laizhou Bay Nature Reserve · 2026 · DOI

• Limited functional genomic and regulatory annotation information in Pacific abalone, - A conservative positional window of 50 kb was used for candidate gene…

  Integrative Transcriptome and GWAS Analyses Reveal Growth-Associated Molecular Architecture in Pacific Abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) · 2026 · DOI

• The development of low-cost, deep-ocean communication sensors. The implementation of equitable subsidy reforms to support small-scale operators. The integration of traditional local knowledge with modern digital tools.

  Technological Innovations in Small-Scale Artisanal Fisheries: A Systematic Literature Review of Opportunities, Barriers, and Future Directions · 2026 · DOI

• Information about artisanal fisheries is often scarce, fragmented, or hidden within national fisheries statistics, - The study only considered the Costa Grande region of Guerrero, Mexico, - The study did not observe the use of regulatory measures for the capture of some species, - The study relied on surveys and field…

  The Resource, Users’ Socio-economic Status, and Governance in Coastal Marine Benthic Mollusk fisheries in Costa Grande, Guerrero, Mexico · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies

• Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies · Nature · 2000 · 2,268 citations
• Towards sustainability in world fisheries · Nature · 2002 · 2,164 citations
• Oyster Reefs at Risk and Recommendations for Conservation, Restoration, and Management · BioScience · 2011 · 1,269 citations
• Contribution of Fisheries and Aquaculture to Food Security and Poverty Reduction: Assessing the Current Evidence · World Development · 2015 · 750 citations
• Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Oyster Reefs · BioScience · 2012 · 602 citations
• Planning the use of fish for food security in the Pacific · Marine Policy · 2008 · 396 citations
• Climate Change Effects on Aquaculture Production: Sustainability Implications, Mitigation, and Adaptations · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · 2021 · 388 citations
• Aquaculture Production and Biodiversity Conservation · BioScience · 2009 · 361 citations
• Will the Oceans Help Feed Humanity? · BioScience · 2009 · 308 citations
• A review of global oyster aquaculture production and consumption · Marine Policy · 2020 · 303 citations

Most recent work

• Revealing the unrecognized climate burden of aquaculture systems: A global insight into greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation strategies · Water Research · 2026
• Effect of the High Temperature on Growth, Metabolism, and Fatty Acid Profile of the Clam Ruditapes decussatus Culture with and Without Substrate · Animals · 2026
• Heat priming protects oyster gills from subsequent lethal heat stress: Histopathology and apoptosis evidence in Crassostrea angulata · Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · 2026
• Integrating hybrid life cycle assessment to quantify carbon footprint in mariculture: Overcoming truncation errors and unveiling macroeconomic drivers · Environmental Impact Assessment Review · 2026
• Challenges and strategies for globally resilient shrimp aquaculture · npj Science of Food · 2026
• Casting light on the workings of illegal fishing markets · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2026
• Sustainable small-scale fisheries development: Integrating bioeconomic and DPSIR models for policy insights · Marine Policy · 2026
• Unveiling the specific microbiome of bivalves: insights into host microbial dynamics and pathogen interactions in a shared environment · Frontiers in Marine Science · 2026
• Fishery nutrient profiles provide practical guidance for nutrition-sensitive small-scale fisheries management in Timor-Leste · Nature Food · 2026
• Quantification of fish products processed into meal and oil in Senegal · Marine Policy · 2026

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