Chemical Control of Ichthyotoxic Algal Blooms in Aquaculture: Assessing Algicide Impacts on Cellular Motility and Bloom Suppression

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector, supplying more than half of the world’s seafood and projected to expand further to meet rising global protein demands. Among the various pressures confronting this industry, harmful algal blooms (HABs) rank among the most alarming. Ichthyotoxic flagellates are microalgae known for producing toxins or inducing gill damage that leads to widespread fish mortality. Their increasing frequency poses a critical threat to aquaculture, emphasizing the urgent need for effective and environmentally sustainable strategies to regulate and mitigate these harmful episodes. This study investigated the responses of three ichthyotoxic flagellates renowned for impacting aquaculture operations (Prymnesium parvum, Heterosigma akashiwo, and Fibrocapsa japonica) and tested their susceptibility to two routinely applied chemical agents, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and copper sulfate (CuSO4). Mortality, viability, and motility were assessed alongside trajectory-based metrics, including mean squared displacement (MSD) and probability density function (PDF). The results revealed species-specific sensitivities: P. parvum was highly susceptible to H2O2, while H. akashiwo and F. japonica were more susceptible to copper toxicity. Ichthyotoxic flagellates exhibited differential sensitivities to chemical treatments, with copper sulfate generally achieving lower EC50 thresholds and greater inhibition of motility than hydrogen peroxide, except in P. parvum. The rapid attenuation of motility at sublethal concentrations highlights swimming behavior as a functional vulnerability, reinforcing the potential for behavior-based mitigation strategies that minimize chemical loading and reduce unintended impacts on cultured fish and surrounding ecosystems.