Flatfish (Pleuronectiformes) encompass fascinating fish species known for their high gastronomical value, rearing performances, and market prices, which attract both economic and scientific interest. Despite these attributes, flatfish exhibit unique morphological, developmental, and biological features, as well as distinctive swimming movements, which require special approaches in skeletal biology research, an area that remain...

A healthy skeletal system is fundamental to fish welfare and performance and a key physiological feature of a robust fish. The presence of skeletal deformities in farmed salmonids is a persistent welfare problem in aquaculture, and one which threatens to impede industry growth. Deformities of the fine bones of fish, such as ribs and intermuscular bones (IBs), have received less attention than vertebral body deformities, despit...

Skeletal deformities in farmed fish are a recurrent problem. External malformations are easily recognized, but there is little information on how external malformations relate to malformations of the axial skeleton: the external phenotype–skeleton link. Here, this link is studied in post‐hatch to first‐feed life stages of Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) raised at 4, 8 and 12°C. Specimens were whole‐mount‐stained fo...

To understand the effect of low dietary phosphorus (P) intake on the vertebral column of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar , a primary P deficiency was induced in post‐smolts. The dietary P provision was reduced by 50% for a period of 10 weeks under controlled conditions. The animal's skeleton was subsequently analysed by radiology, histological examination, histochemical detection of minerals in bones and scales and chemical minera...

A new type of vertebral malformation is described, consisting of deformed cartilaginous neural and haemal processes and the compression and fusion of vertebral bodies. The malformation is designated as haemal vertebral compression and fusion (haemal VCF ). We studied the aetiology of the malformations and described microanatomical histopathological alterations. The malformations were detected during routine quality control in...

Vegetable oils (Vo) are an alternative to fish oil (Fo) in aquaculture feeds. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary soybean oil (Vo diet), rich in linoleic acid, and of dietary fish oil (Fo diet) on the development of spinal deformities under bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced chronic inflammation conditions in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. Fish [25 g body weight (BW)] were fed the experimental diets for...

The microstructure and tissue composition of the dentary bone in Atlantic salmon salmo salar parr were examined using a variety of histological and whole‐mount techniques. Proximally, the dentary is composed of typical cellular lamellar bone with Sharpey's fibres extending dorsally, proximally and ventrally. Meckel's cartilage is located medially through the entire length of the dentary, and degrades distally resulting in a sh...