Xiahong Yang ^1,2

1 Yuanhua Town Yangli Family Farm of Haining City, Haining 314416, Zhejiang, China
2 Zhejiang Agronomist College, Hangzhou, 310021, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Marine Science, 2026, Vol. 16, No. 1   
Received: 29 Nov., 2025    Accepted: 08 Jan., 2026    Published: 21 Jan., 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.

Probiotics have emerged as an important strategy for promoting sustainable and healthy aquaculture by improving growth performance, enhancing immunity, and maintaining ecological balance. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is one of the most widely cultured freshwater fish species; however, intensive farming practices often lead to microbial imbalance, disease outbreaks, and reduced production efficiency. This review summarizes the application effects of probiotics in grass carp aquaculture, focusing on their regulatory mechanisms and practical benefits. Probiotics can improve feed utilization, stimulate digestive enzyme activities, maintain intestinal microbial homeostasis, and enhance nutrient absorption. Moreover, they contribute to improved antioxidant capacity, immune responses, and resistance against bacterial pathogens. The application of probiotics also plays an important role in regulating water quality by reducing harmful microorganisms and promoting environmentally friendly aquaculture systems. A case study of compound probiotic preparations demonstrates their potential in improving growth performance, intestinal microbiota composition, disease resistance, and economic benefits. Despite these advantages, challenges remain regarding strain selection, functional stability, and precise application strategies. Future research integrating omics technologies and targeted microbial regulation will further promote the development of probiotic-based green aquaculture technologies for grass carp production.

Probiotics; Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella); Intestinal microbiota; Immune regulation; Healthy aquaculture