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C‐Phycocyanin (CPC) was extracted from Arthrospira sp. and isolated from an estuarine ecosystem in southern India. A 45‐day feeding trial was conducted to unravel the effect of dietary CPC in Penaeus vannamei. Seven iso‐nitrogenous and iso‐energetic experimental diets were prepared with different levels of CPC at 0 (CPC0), 50 (CPC50), 100 (CPC100), 200 (CPC200), 400 (CPC400), 800 (CPC800) and 1600 (CPC1600) mg per kg diet. The results revealed that the survival percentages in CPC200, CPC400, CPC800 and CPC1600 were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in other treatments. Moreover, P. vannamei fed with CPC800 and CPC1600 showed a significantly higher percentage (p < 0.05) of weight gain compared to other treatments. Similarly, compared to other treatments, average body weight, average daily gain, specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio improved significantly (p < 0.05) in CPC800 and CPC1600. Differential gene expression of selected immune genes (ProPO, SOD and HSP70) indicated enhanced immunity in P. vannamei fed with CPC400 and higher CPC doses. The enhanced health of P. vannamei fed with diets containing CPC was further corroborated by the gut Vibrio counts, haematology, gut microbiome and histopathological analyses, and the results showed the addition of CPC at 800 mg per kg of feed enhanced the health of shrimps. The results also give the baseline information about the utilization of CPC in P. vannamei grow‐out feed at an inclusion level of 800 mg per kg of feed to get better growth, survival and health. The results would help in developing functional feeds for shrimps to act against bacterial diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual reproductive cycle of picnic seabream, Acanthopagrus berda (Forsskål, 1775), one of the potential aquaculture candidate from estuarine waters of Calicut, Kerala (India) was studied. Based on the morphological and histological studies, the ovotestes of A. berda were classified as active male, active female, inactive male, inactive female, transitional and undifferentiated. Histological observation of transitional gonads showed signs of degeneration in the testicular lobe, proliferation of connective tissue and empty sperm ducts indicating protandrous hermaphroditism in A. berda. Ovary was classified into seven maturity stages (virgin, developing virgin, developing, maturing, mature, running, spent) and testis into five maturity stages (resting, maturing, mature, running, spent). Gonadal development in A. berda indicated resting phase (February–July), pre‐spawning phase (March–August) and spawning phase (August–December). Inactive (24.6%) and active males (21.6%) were observed as dominant in smaller length classes (140–250 mm TL), whereas inactive (18%) and active females (51%) were observed as dominant in larger length classes (251–450 mm TL). Few primary females (28.1%) were observed in smaller (below 250 mm TL) and few primary males (28.5%) were observed in larger length classes (above 250 mm TL). From the present study, it can be concluded that in A. berda, most of the individuals function first as males and then change sex to female, but few continue to function as either male or female throughout their lifespan indicating digynous protandrous hermaphroditism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]