Survey of qualitative traits of European sea bass cultivated in different rearing systems

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the main qualitative traits of European sea bass fattened in farms adopting different rearing techniques (offshore cages, inshore cages, land-based basins) but fed the same diets in each production cycle, in a three year survey (2006, 2007, 2008). Three farms were chosen for each rearing technique and two sampling sessions of ten fish each were carried out for each rearing cycle. Proximate composition, fatty acid profile, and cholesterol content were evaluated in the fillet of marketable size fish as well as morpho-biometric parameters and indices. Diets administered in 2008 had higher amounts of lipids, lower proportions of n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and higher proportions of n–6 PUFA compared to 2006 and 2007 diets. The chemical and fatty acid composition of the fish fillet was affected by the diet composition: fish fattened in 2008 exhibited statistically higher amounts of fat and cholesterol, lower proportions of n–3 PUFA and higher proportions of n–6 PUFA in comparison with fish cultivated in 2006 and 2007. Fish cultivated in cages, both offshore and inshore cages, exhibited leaner fillets, lower amounts of cholesterol and higher proportions of n–3 PUFA than fish cultivated in basins. Practical applications: In this study we have analyzed the combined effects of feeding and rearing systems of sea bass in a 3-year survey for the first time. The results showed that feeding is the main factor affecting fish quality as regards both the chemical composition and the fatty acid profile. The partial substitution of fish meal and fish oil with vegetable sources, with the aim of saving the wild fish biomass as well as formulating less expensive diets, strongly alters the fillet composition. We also showed that the rearing system of fish in offshore cages makes it is possible to obtain better quality products.