Diversifying aquaculture in Saudi Arabia with the inclusion of finfish species already reared in the Mediterranean Sea requires a sufficient understanding of the preferences and limits of cultured fish under local conditions. This study was conducted using three finfish species, juveniles...

The survival and growth of the sea cucumber Holothuria poli were assessed during a 12-month field study when cultured at a commercial fish farm in Malta as part of an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system. Sea cucumbers were cultured directly below a fish cage at 0 m, E0, at 10 m...

Bivalve predation by seabream has been observed worldwide and is a major concern for bivalve farmers. Farmed bivalve-seabream interactions must be better understood to ensure the sustainability of bivalve aquaculture. The objectives of this study were to characterize gilthead seabream Sparus aurata ...

Penaeid prawn are highly valued throughout the Mediterranean Sea where they support artisanal fisheries that may be affected by coastal fish farming. We examined the effects of proximity to costal fish farms on body size and stable isotope composition of the caramote prawn Melicertus kerathurus,...

Bivalve cultivation, in single cultivation or in polyculture (including integrated multitrophic aquaculture; IMTA), is generally limited to eutrophic waters. We carried out a modeling study to test if, under meso- and oligotrophic conditions, depth could be a key factor for bivalve productivity...

This work focuses on the selection of new areas for shellfish farming along the coast of the Northern Adriatic Sea (Italy). Shellfish site suitability was assessed by means of a methodology based on Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE), which provided the framework to combine mathematical...

The use of detritivores under sea farms is a promising avenue to mitigate the benthic impacts of marine fish farms. Sea cucumbers are interesting candidates for integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) due to their prevalence in the marine environment, their diversified diet and their economic...

A current practice of marine aquaculture is to integrate fish with low-trophic-level organisms (e.g. molluscs and/or algae) during farming to minimise effects of cultivation on the surrounding environment and to potentially increase economic income. This hypothesis has been tested in the present...

Biofouling is one of the challenges that can strongly affect the finfish farm economy. Although several studies on biofouling in aquaculture have been conducted in the Mediterranean Sea, they focused on specific taxa or were limited to a particular period of sampling. The present study investigated ...