Abstract:[Background] Aerobic denitrifying bacteria have shown a wide range of application potential in the treatment of aquaculture tail water. However, most aerobic denitrifying bacteria have limited denitrification performance in high-salt environments. [Objective] To screen out salt-tolerant aerobic denitrifying bacteria and evaluate their denitrification performance. [Methods] A novel, efficient aerobic denitrifying bacterial strain was selected from the bottom sediment of the aquaculture pond, and the strain was identified by 16S rRNA sequencing and physiological and biochemical tests. Animal tests and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were conducted to examine the virulence and antibiotic resistance of the isolate. Environmental factors affecting the denitrification performance were optimized, and the immobilization technology was employed to improve its application. [Results] Strain WM27 was identified as Klebsiella oxytoca, which had high antibiotic sensitivity and good biosafety. With sodium succinate as the carbon source, strain WM27 had strong denitrification performance under the conditions of C/N=10, pH 7.0, and 25 °C, with the removal rates of TN, NH4+-N, NO2--N, and NO3--N reaching more than 90%. The strain had good denitrification ability at 3%, with the removal rates of TN, NH4+-N, and NO2--N still more than 88%. The degradation effects of NH4+-N, NO2--N, and NO3--N for 48 h were 98.62%-99.46%, 98.26%-100%, and 98.34%-100%, respectively. [Conclusion] Strain WM27 is a salt-tolerant, safe, and efficient aerobic denitrifying bacterium, demonstrating a potential application value in the treatment of high-salt aquaculture tail water.