Book dossier

Biology of European sea bass

by F. Javier Sánchez Vázquez

"Biology of European Seabass presents up-to-date reviews on key topics of seabass biology, written by leading scientific experts with extensive knowledge of seabass as well as their respective field of expertise. The book covers the biology and ecology of the different sea basses and the latest findings in molecular biology, physiology, and behavior of this species. Ranging from larval development to nutrition to pathology and immune system, the chapters cover a broad spectrum. The final chapter deals with novel tools such as transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. The social and commercial impact (fisheries and aquaculture) of seabass is also assessed"-- "European sea bass, Dicentrachus labrax, has attracted the attention of many people: scientist, fish farmers, fishermen and other stakeholders. Since ancient times, this species has been regarded as a highly valuable table fish, and it is actually a delicacy in the current restaurant marketing. This fish has many different names. In France, it is called "loup de mer", while in the Iberian Peninsula it is kwnon as "lubina" or "robalo". In Italy they name sea bass as "branzino" or "spigola", whereas the Greeks refer this fish as "lavraki" (from its vernacular name) and the Turks as "levrek". European sea bass was historically cultured in coastal lagoons and tidal reservoirs, so it should not be surprising this fish species was one of the first marine fish to be farmed in Europe using modern aquaculture techniques. In fact, in Italy sea bass and seabream are the most consumed fish species. With declining fisheries, the aquaculture of European sea bass becomes increasingly important to provide a high quality product to consumers. In fact, according to FAO predictions, by 2030 over 65% of seafood will be supplied by aquaculture. Sea bass aquaculture production has been rising since the early 90s, reaching over 130,000 tonnes per year in the last few years, while fisheries catches remain stacked around 10,000 tonnes per year. Geographically, the main production of sea bass is located in two countries: Turkey (34.2%) and Greece (34.1%); although this species is cultured in many other Mediterranean countries, such as Spain (11.4%), Italy (6.9%), Egypt (4%), Croatia (2.5%), France (2.4%), Tunisia, Cyprus, Portugal, etc"--