Fish nutritional value is a complex trait, highly influenced by fatty acid composition, which is correspondingly affected by a variety of factors, such as seasonality, abiotic conditions, and genetic background. Herein, the seasonal variations in lipid metabolism and the composition of fatty acids in three economically important mullet species (Chelon auratus, Chelon ramada, and Mugil cephalus) in an appropriate fisheries mode...

The aim of the present study was to investigate how seasonal changes in the oxidation of biological energy substrates contribute to the thermal tolerance of farmed fish, as well as to explore the potential relationship between seasonality, metabolic pathways, and the energy reserves of a highly important aquaculture species, i.e., the gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata . In a monthly basis collected tissue samples from a fish fa...

The impact of pathogenic Vibrio on bivalves is expected to be aggravated by global warming, posing a growing threat to aquaculture. Clam production has been particularly vulnerable, with significant losses attributed to the lack of pathogen-resistant strains. In this study, the mantle cavity of the grooved carpet shell clam Ruditapes decussatus (Linnaeus, 1758) was injected with Vibrio splendidus at 18 °C, 22 °C, and 24 °C and...

Pinna nobilis, endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, has been experiencing a gradual population decline over recent decades due to anthropogenic pressures on its ecosystems. However, since 2016, its populations have suffered significant reductions because of pathological issues affecting the species across all its habitats. Aquaculture techniques to support the limited natural recruitment P. nobilis efforts is examined. Artificial...

The present study aimed to address the issue of pressure on the remaining populations of the critical endangered species, fan mussel, Pinna nobilis, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Marine professional (shell/fish farmers, divers, fishers, administrators, etc.) stakeholders’ knowledge (n = 151) in Greece reports that there was a reduction (81.6%) of the P. nobilis individuals during the last 15 years, especially in the years 2010...

Ascidian biofouling generates significant challenges to bivalve aquaculture. Their rapid spread across almost every available surface leads to increased maintenance costs and reduced yields in shellfish farming. In addition, ascidians may introduce pathogens or toxins, further compromising the health and marketability of bivalve stocks and thereby necessitating strict management strategies to manage these impacts. The aim of t...

Background: The effects of climate change negatively affect marine bivalves’ health. Lately, the intensity of marine heatwaves poses serious threats to the aquatic environment setting of high-risk bivalve farming. Since temperature increases can jeopardize bivalves’ immunity response, pathogen infection becomes more evident. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, increased during the process of phagocytosis, is confronted b...

Mediterranean finfish aquaculture is mainly represented by the production of the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) growing in marine cage farms. Despite the numerous benefits of fish farming, the ecological risk potentially caused by fish escapes to the wild populations is occasionally high. In the current study, an integrated review of fish escapes is presented regarding S. aurata and D. l...

Ascidians’ bioaccumulation is frequently responsible for the massive growth of certain species, causing detrimental effects on aquaculture facilities. The goal of this study is to provide, for the first time in the Eastern Mediterranean, information on biofoulant species in Greek mussel farms over a long time scale and to describe the best management strategies that will reduce costs while preventing and controlling these biof...

Summary Global warming affects the aquatic ecosystems, accelerating pathogenic microorganisms' and toxic microalgae's growth and spread in marine habitats, and in bivalve molluscs. New parasite invasions are directly linked to oceanic warming. Consumption of pathogen‐infected molluscs impacts human health at different rates, depending, inter alia, on the bacteria taxa. It is therefore necessary to monitor microbiological and c...

Monitoring variations in proteins involved in metabolic processes, oxidative stress responses, cell signalling and protein homeostasis is a powerful tool for developing hypotheses of how environmental variations affect marine organisms' physiology and biology. According to the oxygen‐ and capacity‐limited thermal tolerance hypothesis, thermal acclimation mechanisms such as adjusting the activities of enzymes of intermediary me...

The Mediterranean endemic fan mussel Pinna nobilis is suffering an ongoing basin-scale mass mortality event (MME) since 2016. As most Mediterranean populations have collapsed, the species has been declared as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species. In an effort to track the progress of the MME and provide updated information on the status of the species in the Greek seas, we compiled data collected th...