The Editorial Board of Aquaculture International have introduced a new annual awards programme to recognise and thank the outstanding contributions of their authors, reviewers and wider journal community: the Annual Aquaculture International Impact & Excellence Awards.
Professor Daniel Merrifield, the Editor-in-chief of Aquaculture International, and Editorial Board Chair for International Aquafeed, announced that in 2025, nearly 350 reviewers supported the journal, providing approximately 1600 reviews, which enabled the publication of more than 630 articles.
Professor Merrifield said, “The journal is supported by a large and dedicated community, and while it isn’t possible to recognise every valuable contribution individually, it is a pleasure to highlight some of the most significant, both within the year and over the longer term. All of our awardees are thoroughly deserving of this recognition, but I am especially pleased to acknowledge the exceptional contributions of Professor Malcolm Jobling and Professor Gavin Burnell, who have helped to guide and shape the journal since its inception 33 years ago.”
In recognition of these contributions, the new awards programme has been established to highlight both in-year achievements and sustained contributions to the journal’s success. The inaugural recipients are:
Lifetime Achievement Award
Professor Burnell served as Editor-in-Chief for more than 25 years, the longest tenure of any Chief Editor in the history of aquaculture journals, and has been a member of the Editorial Board since the journal’s inception in 1993.
During his leadership, the journal’s Impact Factor increased from approximately 0.5 to 2.4 (2024). Annual citations grew from a few hundred to nearly 6000, while submissions increased from a few hundred to around 3000 per year. Throughout this expansion, the journal has maintained a rigorous acceptance rate of approximately 20 percent, safeguarding its scientific standards and editorial integrity.
Reflecting on his award, Professor Burnell said, “I have seen massive changes in the journal since I took over as Editor-in-Chief over 25 years ago. In the early days there were less than 100 papers submitted per year and the whole reviewing and editing process was done by hand which involved a lot of photocopying and posting of articles. The journal has now grown to over 3,000 submissions per year and the Editor-in-Chief has a team of 20 Associate Editors and sophisticated software to help in the review process. I could not have managed the last 9 years without the expert assistance of my co-Editor-in-Chief Prof Brian Austin. He has also retired with me and gave sterling service to the journal. There are challenging times ahead for the new Editor-in-Chief, Prof Dan Merrifield. We are now in an era where the use of AI is widespread. It can be both a useful tool and seditious force. However, I am sure that Dan, with the help from Judith Terpos at Springer Nature will bring the journal to new levels of excellence over the next few years. I wish him every success in this challenging enterprise.”
Aquaculture International Distinguished Service Award
This award recognises Professor Jobling’s sustained and distinguished service to the journal across multiple roles, including author, reviewer, editor, and trusted advisor. Over the years, he completed nearly 80 book reviews and more than 2000 manuscript reviews. His association with the journal as an author dates back to 1993, including an early paper on the aquaculture potential of Arctic charr – one of 19 papers he has published in the journal to date.
Professor Jobling said, “The work of editors, assistant editors and peer reviewers is underappreciated and often goes unrecognized. Bearing this in mind, the establishment of the Aquaculture International Lifetime Achievement and Distinguished Service awards represents a major step in redressing the balance; irrespective of the names of the recipients.
I have been associated with Aquaculture International since the inception of the journal in 1993, having been approached by the founding editor Mike Poxton to contribute a review article to ‘showcase’ the new journal, and to join the Editorial Board. I took on the role as Book review editor, and also agreed to act as a peer reviewer of manuscripts when the need arose. I had a good, and long-standing collaboration with Mike, and this was followed by an even longer more productive and influential one with Gavin Burnell, the well-deserved recipient of the inaugural Aquaculture International Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to editing and reviewing, I have published several papers in AQUI, most of which have had my doctoral or master students as first or co-authors; this to showcase their work and to give them a step on the ladder towards making a career in aquaculture research or management.
I very much appreciate being presented with the Aquaculture International Distinguished Service Award, and am honored that the award will bear my name in the future.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award and the Aquaculture International Distinguished Service Award will not necessarily be presented annually and will be reserved for individuals who have made exceptional and sustained contributions to the development of the journal. In recognition of the inaugural recipients, these awards will be henceforth named the Malcolm Jobling Distinguished Service Award and the Gavin Burnell Lifetime Achievement Award.
Highest Cited Paper 2025
Abdul Kari, Z. Nutritional immunomodulation in aquaculture: functional nutrients, stress resilience, and sustainable health strategies. Aquacult Int 33, 441 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-025-02122-5
Awarded to the paper published in 2025 that received the highest number of citations within the same year.
Most Downloaded Paper 2025
Yang, Y., Phillips, C., Narayan, E., Shao, Q., & Descovich, K. Attitudes of Chinese aquaculture stakeholders towards live transport and farmed fish welfare, with a focus on the Hunan region. Aquacult Int 33, 300 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-025-01975-0
Awarded to the paper published in 2025 with the highest number of full-text downloads recorded within the year.
Editor’s Choice Award 2025
Marthinsen, J.L., Reitan, K.I., Olsen, R.E., Li, K., Nunes, B., Bjørklund, R. H., & Kjørsvik, E. Influence of dietary phospholipid level and bile salt supplementation on larval performance of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.). Aquacult Int 33, 560 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-025-02236-w
This distinction recognises the quality, originality and scientific significance of an original research article published during the year.
Outstanding Reviewer of the Year 2025
Professor Sevdan Yilmaz, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey
Awarded in recognition of exceptional service to the journal, including the provision of more than 20 consistently high-quality reviews.
