Marine ecosystem degradation and aquatic animal health: Restoration strategies, veterinary management, and sustainable aquaculture

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities, including pollution, habitat destruction, overexploitation of marine resources, and climate change, are increasingly threatening marine environments, with important consequences for ecosystem stability and aquatic animal health. This narrative and critical review synthesizes the available literature on the major anthropogenic stressors affecting marine ecosystems and examines their implications for aquatic animal health, with particular emphasis on physiological stress, disease susceptibility, pathogen dynamics, reproductive impairment, and mortality in wild and cultured aquatic species. Relevant peer-reviewed studies were identified and evaluated through a targeted literature search addressing marine environmental degradation, aquatic animal health, disease risk, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable marine management. The evidence was critically synthesized to distinguish well-established effects from emerging findings and to identify major knowledge gaps and research priorities. This review evaluates the major drivers of marine environmental degradation and their consequences for aquatic animal health and aquaculture productivity. Restoration and sustainability approaches, including marine protected areas, habitat restoration, biodiversity conservation, water quality management, and environmentally sustainable coastal engineering, are also critically examined, focusing on their potential to improve environmental conditions and reduce health and disease risks. The review considers Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 as a regional case study illustrating the integration of marine conservation, aquatic animal health, responsible aquaculture, and sustainable marine resource management. Finally, the review identifies key evidence gaps and highlights the need for multidisciplinary approaches integrating ecosystem restoration, aquatic veterinary medicine, disease surveillance, environmental monitoring, and sustainable management to strengthen the long-term resilience of marine ecosystems and aquatic production systems.