Journal profile · Fisheries
Aquaculture International
ISSN 0967-6120 · eISSN 1573-143X · Springer International Publishing · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1993
Aquaculture International: CAS Zone 3 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.51; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,990; median 83 days to acceptance (120 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 647 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Aquaculture International is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 3 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth, Aquaculture disease management and microbiota and Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies, together about 51% of its articles. Its main subfields are Aquatic Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aquaculture International publishes research that directly supports the advancement, sustainability, and practical application of commercial aquaculture. The journal prioritises work with clear relevance to the production, management, and health of farmed aquatic organisms. Core Areas of Focus 1. Applied Biology of Cultured SpeciesResearch on the production related to biology, physiology, pathology, genetics, nutrition and breeding of farmed fish, crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms, sponges, worms, microalgae, macroalgae and aquatic plants only when conducted in an aquaculture context and aimed at improving culture outcomes (e.g. health, survival, productivity, welfare, domestication, biomass composition/quality). 2. Water Quality & Environmental ManagementStudies addressing:
· Water quality dynamics in aquaculture systems
· Environmental impacts of aquaculture operations
· Monitoring, mitigation, and management strategies that improve farm performance or ecological or commercial sustainability 3. Nutrition, Feeds and Husbandry PracticesWork focused on:
· Nutritional requirements
· Feed development (formulation) and evaluation
· Feeding strategies
· Feeding behaviour and digestive physiology
· Stocking approaches
· Husbandry practices and their influence on growth, behaviour, welfare, and production efficiency 4. Aquaculture Systems and TechnologyFor example, research on the design, engineering, optimisation, and management of:
· Land-based systems (e.g., RAS, ponds, tanks)
· Offshore and coastal systems
· Integrated, multi-trophic, or novel production systemsApplication of scientific and engineering innovations with demonstrated production relevance are also in scope. 5. Sustainable Production and Farm ManagementStudies that evaluate:
· Environmentally and economically sustainable production approaches
· Resource use efficiency
· Disease management strategies
· Risk management and resilience of production systems 6. Genetic Diversity and Selective BreedingResearch studies dedicated to:Conservation and characterisation of genetic resources of farmed species or population genetics/genomics of farmed stocksGenetic and epigenetic determinism of traits of interest for aquaculture production, estimates of genetic parameters of quantitative traits, and response to selectionGenetic improvement using ploidy manipulations, transgenesis and gene editing Practical Significance RequirementAll articles must include a clear, explicit statement of practical relevance to commercial aquac
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Fisheries
Editor-in-chief Daniel L. MerrifieldPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 8 in mainland China (about 10%); most named India 11, United Kingdom 10, Mainland China 8, Italy 5, Ireland 5 (79 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Aquaculture Nutrition and GrowthAgricultural and Biological Sciences26.4%
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiotaImmunology and Microbiology16.7%
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture StudiesEnvironmental Science7.9%
- Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic speciesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.9%
- Aquatic life and conservationAgricultural and Biological Sciences5%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science4.6%
- Fish Biology and Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.9%
- Invertebrate Immune Response MechanismsImmunology and Microbiology3.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Fisheries | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Fisheries | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Fisheries | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
INSPECCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 3.51LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.65LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 48LetPub ·
- h-index
- 94OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,015OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.71OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.46%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 657LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 851,100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,244 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 287 | 79 | 124 |
| 2025 | 647 | 149 | 1,993 |
| 2024 | 379 | 86 | 2,758 |
| 2023 | 326 | 79 | 3,343 |
| 2022 | 236 | 48 | 2,879 |
| 2021 | 180 | 30 | 3,478 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
83 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 45 days – 138 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (120 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 97 days
- Sample
- 120 articles with submission and acceptance dates (755 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,990 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- brief communicationcomplete findings later in an article. Brief Communications have a maximum length of 2,500 words (excluding figures, tables and abstract), and a total of nomain text ≤ 2,500 words
- reviewReview Papers do not contain new information, but rather summarize emerging trends or recent developments. In this section, contributions will be published that…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Aquaculture International, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1993
- ISSN
- 0967-6120
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-143X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Aquaculture International
What CAS zone is Aquaculture International in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Aquaculture International is in Zone 3 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Fisheries. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Aquaculture International?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.51; CiteScore 4.2, h-index 94.
How long does peer review take at Aquaculture International?
Based on the dates recorded on 120 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 83 days (interquartile range 45–138 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Aquaculture International?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Aquaculture International based?
Of the 79 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 8 (about 10%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are India (11), United Kingdom (10) and Mainland China (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Aquaculture International?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Aquaculture International is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists INSPEC, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Aquaculture International open access, and what is the APC?
Aquaculture International is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,990.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .