Wenfang Wang

Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Marine Science, 2026, Vol. 16, No. 5   
Received: 25 Aug., 2026    Accepted: 29 Sep., 2026    Published: 30 Oct., 2026

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.

Salinity is a critical environmental factor affecting the physiological homeostasis, growth performance, immune function, and overall health of sea bass in aquaculture systems. This review comprehensively examines the responses and adaptive mechanisms of sea bass under different salinity conditions, with particular emphasis on the interactions among environmental conditions, growth performance, physiological regulation, immune responses, and molecular adaptation. The effects of salinity on feed intake, growth, survival, and physiological condition are first summarized, followed by an analysis of osmoregulatory mechanisms involving the gills, intestine, endocrine system, and energy allocation. The responses of oxidative stress, innate immunity, and disease resistance to salinity variation are further discussed. In addition, molecular mechanisms associated with ion transport, osmoregulation, antioxidant defense, stress responses, and metabolism are evaluated. A case study is presented to compare the growth, health status, and environmental adaptability of sea bass under low, optimal, and high salinity conditions. Finally, practical salinity management and acclimation strategies, current research gaps, and future research directions are discussed. This review provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating salinity adaptability and supports more precise and sustainable salinity management in sea bass aquaculture.

Sea bass; Salinity; Osmoregulation; Immune response; Environmental adaptability