International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 298-307 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ija 298 Research Perspective Open Access Advances in Yellow Catfish Reproductive Biology: Implications for Aquaculture Manman Li 1 , Liang Chen 2 1 Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China 2 Tropical Marine Fisheries Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding author: manman.li@hibio.org International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.6 doi: 10.5376/ija.2025.15.0029 Received: 28 Sep., 2025 Accepted: 10 Nov., 2025 Published: 01 Dec., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li and Chen, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Li M.M., and Chen L., 2025, Advances in yellow catfish reproductive biology: implications for aquaculture, International Journal of Aquaculture, 15(6): 298-307 (doi: 10.5376/ija.2025.15.0029) Abstract Yellow catfish is a freshwater fish with significant aquaculture value. The study of its reproductive biology is of great significance for improving the efficiency of artificial breeding and achieving sustainable aquaculture. This study reviews the latest research progress in reproductive biology of yellow catfish, including reproductive system anatomy and development, endocrine regulation, gametogenesis and oocyte maturation, artificial induction reproduction and seedling breeding, reproductive behavior and environmental adaptation, as well as genetic improvement and molecular breeding. The role of the HPG axis and sex hormones in reproduction was emphasized and expounded. The molecular mechanism of oocyte maturation and the influence of gamete quality on fertilization rate were analyzed. Technical breakthroughs such as induction of labor and hatching were summarized. Meanwhile, the influences of environmental factors such as temperature, light and water quality on reproductive efficiency were discussed, and the potential of genetic breeding technology to improve reproductive traits was explored. Finally, the application prospects of these advancements in aquaculture are prospected, and it is pointed out that these studies provide important scientific basis for efficient artificial breeding and sustainable aquaculture of yellow catfish. Keywords Yellow catfish; Reproductive biology; Endocrine regulation; Artificial breeding; Molecular breeding 1 Introduction The yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, also known as Tachysurus fulvidraco) is a common freshwater bony fish that can be found in rivers and lakes in East and Southeast Asia, especially widely distributed in China and South Korea. Its meat is tender, grows fast and has strong adaptability. Therefore, it has always been a "star breed" in the aquaculture industry and has considerable economic value (Gong et al., 2018; Kim et al., 2024). However, compared with these obvious advantages, what is more remarkable is its gender difference. Male fish are often two or three times larger than female fish. This dimorphism in body size has attracted a lot of attention from researchers in both basic biology and breeding practice. yellow catfish can live in different types of water bodies, ranging from still water to flowing water. Its reproductive capacity, egg size and even spawning season will vary with the environment (Liao et al., 2018). In recent years, with the establishment of high-quality reference genomes, people finally have powerful tools to study its economic traits, sex determination and reproductive regulatory mechanisms, and also lay the foundation for subsequent selective breeding and functional genomics research (Huang et al., 2022). If we extend the timeline a bit, the development speed of the entire aquaculture industry over the past few decades has been almost explosive. Freshwater fish farming has become one of the important ways for humans to obtain animal protein. In China, the output of yellow catfish has been increasing almost every year and has exceeded 500 000 tons in recent years (Kim et al., 2024). On the other hand, intensive farming also brings troubles. Genetic degradation, frequent diseases, coupled with environmental problems such as high temperature and water pollution, put pressure on the farming benefits (Chen et al., 2022). Especially in terms of disease resistance and reproductive capacity, the problems are more prominent. Bacterial infections such as Aeromonas and Edwardsiella escherichia can often cause serious losses in a short period of time (Ning et al., 2022; You et al., 2023). In addition, the changes in river ecology caused by large-scale hydropower projects have also disrupted the reproductive rhythm and spawning environment of wild yellow catfish, which reminds people that habitat protection and
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