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The search for new sustainable aquafeeds for the species with greater economic importance, such as the gilthead sea bream in Europe, is one of the main challenges in the aquaculture sector. The present work tested fishmeal replacement by a mixture of plant meals at different levels, as well as the use of marine by-products with attractant properties and high-quality protein in high plant protein diets. In order to do that, effects on growth and biometric parameters, digestibility, amino acid retention, excreted ammonia and proteases and amylase activity were assessed, using six different diets: FM100 (100% of protein provided by fishmeal), FM50 (50% of replacement), FM25 (75% of replacement) and FM0 (100% of replacement), but also FM25+ (75% of replacement and 15% of squid and krill meal inclusion), and FM0+ (100% of replacement and 15% of squid and krill meal inclusion). In group FM0, a clear impact of dietary changes was observed on growth, survival and ammonia excretion. Amino acid retention in group FM0+ was also significantly affected, which can be explained by the limited content of certain amino acids in this diet. On the other hand, no significant differences were observed in most biometric parameters or in enzyme activity. In conclusion, complete fishmeal replacement can be achieved by using a mixture of plant-based sources, but supplementation with complementary marine ingredients can prevent detrimental effects on growth, survival, nutritional parameters and protein metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we evaluated the effect of the probioticEnterococcus gallinarumL-1 on the cellular immune system of four different fish species of great interest in aquaculture such as gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), meagre (Argyrosomus regius) and red porgy (Pagrus pagrus). Phagocytic activity, respiratory burst and peroxidase content of leucocytes were observed 30 minutes after incubation with the probioticE. gallinarumstrain L-1, alive or inactivated with heat shock or ultraviolet (UV) light at different concentrations of 107, 108and 109cfu mL−1(final concentration 106, 107and 108cfu mL−1).E. gallinarumproduced dose-dependent increments in respiratory burst in red porgy, sea bream and sea bass leucocytes. About 106and 107cfu mL−1of live and inactivated bacteria with no stimulation of the respiratory burst activity of sea bream and red porgy head kidney leucocytes was shown. The highest values of peroxidase content were observed in red porgy cells with stimulation indexes higher than 1 in each treatment. Statistical analysis revealed that differences were only significant in sea bream where UV light-inactivated bacteria denote statistically significant differences (P< 0.05) with respect to other treatments. Highest values of phagocytic activity were obtained in sea bream leucocytes incubated with live bacteria (26% ± 1.88), where significant differences (P< 0.05) with other species were detected. Our results suggest that thein vitroassays may be useful in optimising their effective dose and viability for the immunomodulatory effects of probiotic bacteria, althoughin vivostudies are necessary to confirm the immunomodulatory effect of this strain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marine aquaculture in Greece is a relatively new industry based on the culture of aquatic species such as the Mediterranean sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), and Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis). In the early 1980s, the results of research and development were applied to develop pilot semiacademic commercial farms. Such farms were gradually moved to the industrial scale of today, producing some 80,00–120,000 tons of finfish and up to 25,000–35,000 tons of mussels annually. The problems encountered during the adaptation of innovation to the production and management of this blue revolution is critically discussed from the early developmental phases up to the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors in a previous work had reported on the determination of seven quinolone antibiotics in gilthead sea bream using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, which is a rather expensive and not always available analytical technique. In this work, photodiode array detection is used, so that no sophisticated instrumentation is necessary, following the same sample preparation procedure. A high performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of seven quinolone antibiotics in fish feed and gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurataL.) tissue was developed and validated in terms of selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, robustness, and stability, according to European Decision 2002/657/EC. Ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, oxolinic acid, nalidixic acid, and flumequine were separated on a Perfectsil ODS-3 (250 mm × 4 mm, 5 µm) column by gradient elution, using a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (pH = 1), acetonitrile, and methanol at 25°C. Analytes were monitored by diode array detector at 255 nm for acidic quinolones (oxolinic acid, nalidix acid, and flumequine) and 275 nm for ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, and sarafloxacin. The method was successfully applied to gilthead sea bream from aquaculture after dietary administration of flumequine and oxolinic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between fisheries and aquaculture have become a major issue that is still insufficiently studied. Therefore, the objective of this article is to test whether the cultured and wild gilthead sea bream in the Spanish seafood markets are integrated. By using the Johansen methodology, cointegration of the price series of farmed and wild gilthead sea bream was tested. In contrast to previous studies, our econometric results show that wild and the farmed gilthead sea bream form two heterogeneous products in the Spanish market. These new results question the generalization currently accepted by the scientific literature that farmed and wild fish are substitutes when they belong to the same species. The binomial product-market, along with some specific features of the Spanish market, such as the negative perceptions of aquaculture by some significant groups of consumers, appeared to have a great explanatory power for justifying these different results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily light and feeding cycles act as powerful synchronizers of circadian rhythmicity. Ultimately, these external cues entrain the expression of clock genes, which generate daily rhythmic behavioral and physiological responses in vertebrates. In the present study, we investigated clock genes in a marine teleost (gilthead sea bream). Partial cDNA sequences of key elements from both positive ( Bmal1, Clock) and negative ( Per2, Cry1) regulatory loops were cloned before studying how feeding time affects the daily rhythms of locomotor activity and clock gene expression in the central (brain) and peripheral (liver) oscillators. To this end, all fish were kept under a light-dark (LD) cycle and were divided into three experimental groups, depending on the time of their daily meal: mid-light (ML), mid-darkness (MD), or at random (RD) times. Finally, the existence of circadian control on gene expression was investigated in the absence of external cues (DD + RD). The behavioral results showed that seabream fed at ML or RD displayed a diurnal activity pattern (>91% of activity during the day), whereas fish fed at MD were nocturnal (89% of activity during the night). Moreover, seabream subjected to regular feeding cycles (ML and MD groups) showed food-anticipatory activity (FAA). Regardless of the mealtime, the daily rhythm of clock gene expression in the brain peaked close to the light-dark transition in the case of Bmal1 and Clock, and at the beginning of the light phase in the case of Per2 and Cry1, showing the existence of phase delay between the positive and negative elements of the molecular clock. In the liver, however, the acrophases of the daily rhythms differed depending on the feeding regime: the maximum expression of Bmal1 and Clock in the ML and RD groups was in antiphase to the expression pattern observed in the fish fed at MD. Under constant conditions (DD + RD), Per2 and Cry1 showed circadian rhythmicity in the brain, whereas Bmal1, Clock, and Per2 did in the liver. Our results indicate that the seabream clock gene expression is endogenously controlled and in liver it is strongly entrained by food signals, rather than by the LD cycle, and that scheduled feeding can shift the phase of the daily rhythm of clock gene expression in a peripheral organ (liver) without changing the phase of these rhythms in a central oscillator (brain), suggesting uncoupling of the light-entrainable oscillator (LEO) from the food-entrainable oscillator (FEO). These findings provide the basis and new tools for improving our knowledge of the circadian system and entraining pathways of this fish species, which is of great interest for the Mediterranean aquaculture. (Author correspondence: javisan@um.es). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to extract salt-soluble proteins, such as myofibrillar proteins, sodium chloride is added to restructured products that serve as a binding agent among fish particles. Various additives, such as microbial transglutaminase (MTGase), have been used to reduce NaCl level in restructured products to improve water holding capacity (WHC) and textural properties. The aim of this work was to study the effect of salt level in the physicochemical and mechanical properties of uncooked restructured fish products using MTGase as cold binding agent. Except adhesiveness, the mechanical properties were affected by both salt and MTGase levels (p < 0.05). Samples with regular-salt level (20 g/kg) showed higher values of hardness, springiness and chewiness than low-salt (10 g/kg) samples (p < 0.05). Expressible water ranged from 7% to 10% for low-salt samples and from 4.3% to 4.5% for regular-salt samples, a decrease of the salt level induced a decrease in the WHC. El cloruro sodico se adiciona a los productos reestructurados con el fin de extraer las proteinas solubles, como las miofibrilares, que sirven de agentes de union en la pasta de pescado. Algunos aditivos, como la transglutaminasa microbiana, han sido utilizados en productos reestructurados bajos en sal para mejorar la capacidad de retencion de agua y las propiedades texturales. En este trabajo se estudio el efecto del nivel de sal y transglutaminasa (MGTasa), sobre las propiedades mecanicas y las caracteristicas fisicoquimicas, de un producto reestructurado no cocido de dorada (Sparus arata). Las propiedades mecanicas, a excepcion de la adhesividad, presentaron valores mas altos en las muestras con un nivel regular de sal (p < 0,05). Los valores de los parametros del Analisis de Textura TPA se incrementaban de forma significativa (p < 0,05) al aumentar la MTGasa adicionada de 3 a 6 g/kg para muestras con nivel regular de sal. El agua extraible incrementaba con el nivel de MTGasa para muestras con un contenido bajo de sal indicando un descenso en la capacidad de retencion de agua. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European sea bass and gilthead sea bream are two major marine finfish species reared in the Mediterranean region. Feeds for these species have high protein levels, usually supplied by fish meal. Research on alternatives to fish meal is mainly focused on plant protein feedstuffs, which are generally high in carbohydrates. Therefore, understanding the potential use of dietary carbohydrate is crucial for better utilization of such feedstuffs in the diets for these species. Factors that affect carbohydrate digestibility, metabolic utilization, as well as regulation of glucose metabolism are discussed. Data show that to ensure high digestibility, growth, and feed utilization, diets for these species should include around 20% digestible carbohydrate. Digestibility of native starch is high (above 70%) in both species, and it is further improved by processing starches (above 90%). Regarding carbohydrate complexity, it appears that European sea bass perform better with starch than glucose, while the opposite is true for gilthead sea bream. An enhancement in the activity of key enzymes of the glycolytic pathway and an increase of liver glycogen content is generally observed in the two species after feeding carbohydrates. An inverse regulation of the gluconeogenic enzyme activities with dietary carbohydrate intake is not observed in either species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproduction in most fish is typically a seasonal process, as spawning takes place usually at a given time of the year, depending on the reproduction strategy of the species, to ensure maximal survival of offspring. Nevertheless, fish reproduction cannot be considered an exclusively annual phenomenon, because spawning may also show daily rhythmicity. In this study, we investigated the existence of a daily spawning rhythm in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L) exposed to different light-dark (LD) cycles and at different times of the year using an automatic and programmable egg collector. Floatability and fertilization rates were analyzed at different times throughout the 24 h. The results showed a daily spawning rhythm with spanning occurring from 14:30 to 21:30 h, with the acrophase (peak time) being 18:29 and 18:08 h in fish exposed to an artificial photoperiod of 9L:15D in winter and in spring, respectively. Nevertheless, in fish exposed to a natural photoperiod of 12L:12D in spring, the acrophase of the rhythm was recorded later, at 21:28 h. The average fertilization rate was 87%, and no significant differences were found between the different hours of spawning. Moreover, when the LD cycle (9L:15D) was shifted by 12 h, the daily spawning rhythm gradually re-synchronized, resuming a stable phase-relationship after 4-5 transient days, which is characteristic of a endogenous circadian rhythm. Our results clearly demonstrated the existence of a 24 h period of spawning in gilthead sea bream, with a peak anticipating the forthcoming night, and its capacity to gradually re-synchronize after a 12 h shift in the LD cycle, pointing to the endogenous nature of this rhythm. These findings will be valuable for better understanding the reproductive physiology of this species and for optimizing the protocols of egg collection and larvae production in aquaculture. (Author correspondence: javisan@um.es) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many fish species have evolved feeding mechanisms and behaviours enabling them to feed on specific prey. However, such mechanisms may not be optimal for feeding on commercial-pelleted diets in aquaculture. Gilthead sea bream chew and occasionally eject pellets or parts of pellets from the mouth when feeding on commercial diets. This may result in an increase in nutritional waste from the intensive culture of this species. In this study we examined the prevalence of this food processing behaviour in two sizes of sea bream, feeding on three types of natural prey items in comparison to a commercial pellet, to give an insight into the circum- stances in which excess chewing and ejection of food items from the mouth occurred. These included two hard-textured food items (commercial pellet and hard-shelled prey) and two soft-textured food items (larvae and small crustacean). Both sizes of sea bream frequently consumed the soft-textured food types, however large sea bream also frequently consumed hard-textured pellets. Hard-textured food required longer handling times and elicited more chewing and the ejection of food items from the mouth. These results suggest that future investigations on the food processing behaviour and consequent waste when fed commercial diets differing in texture could give an insight into improving diets and feeding efficiency for intensively cultivated gilthead sea bream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]