Abstract: Stress response is a widespread physiological reaction in nature. It directly affects the metabolic process and physicochemical conditions of living organisms, and is likely to adversely affect the meat quality of food animals. The transportation of live fish is an indispensable intermediate link in the production process of fish products, and it is also a major factor triggering stress response in live fish. Accordingly, this article reviews the existing literature on the effects of stress response on fish physiological characteristics, flesh quality and metabolism, and on how fish transportation affects the metabolic pathways related to flesh quality. Next, it describes the application of transcriptomics in studies on stress response in fish. This review highlights the importance and necessity of fundamental studies on stress response and its regulatory mechanism in fish.

Key words: transportation; stress; physiology; flesh quality