Check list of the parasitofauna in Adriatic Sea cage-reared fish

Abstract

Along with the fast development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean, a number of emerging parasitic diseases was observed in cage-reared fish, which in confined rearing conditions induced mortality or/and indirect economical losses related to suppressed growth. The trend of diversification of aquaculture products and the introduction of new fish species in the rearing system, helped the introduction of new parasitic pathogens along with their host in the new environment. The process resulted in the adaptation of parasites and in a switch to resident aquaculture species (sea bass and sea bream) or/and increase of prevalence and abundance of parasites on newly introduced fish species. In both cases, the parasitofauna of reared fish even impoverished in terms of species richness and showed greater population values than in the wild fish population. Even if the Mediterranean parasitofauna of reared fish was the issue of numerous publications in the past decade, only occasional findings and reports concerned its specificities in the Adriatic Sea.