Acronym NA
Category
Aquaculture
Title Biological effects of antifouling and bacteriostatic compounds used in the Mediterranean mariculture industry today Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Efthimia Cotou Coordinator email ecotou@hcmr.gr
Coordinator institution
NA
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2005 End year 2007 Funding (€) € 17,921 Website NA Summary The last decades the euryhaline fish farming industry has achieved considerable production numbers in the Mediterranean region. The intensive cultivation of Sparus aurata and Dicentrarchus labrax the most culture species in Greece and Spain, has had an explosive adventure development. The increased uses of new antifouling compounds as well as the bacteriostatic treatments to control bacterial diseases in these farming species have supported the explosive development of their intensive culture. Antifouling compounds are used to combat biological fouling on mariculture nets and other marine equipment. The biological effects of some previously used biocides such as tributyltin oxides (TBTO) are well known. However, new antifouling compounds have been introduced to the mariculture industry, as replacement of TBTO, but their biological effects on these farmed species as well as on other marine organisms have not been clarified. Likewise in intensive fish farming bacteriostatics are widely using as well, both as feed additives and for mass therapy. Mostly are given as medicated feed pellets and calculations have indicated that 70-80% of these compounds ends up in the environment (Hektoen et al., 1995). Only few studies investigated the toxic effects of such compounds on some aquatic organisms and even less on crustaceans. Investigations focused primarily on the acute toxic effects of antibacterial agents. However, there is lack of data of their biological effects on farming species (e.g. Sparus aurata and Dicentrarchus labrax) as well as on other marine organisms like crustaceans. Yet, bacteriostatics such as antibiotics are suspicious environmental contaminants as they are biologically active, which obviously is part of their nature, whereas antibacterial agents are usually very soluble. In order to be as effective as possible they often have a low biodegradability. This property poses a potential for bioaccumulation and persistence in the marine environment around the fish cages.
The aim of the present study is to determine whether the use of some new antifouling compounds as well as some of the common used bacteriostatics are causing, or are likely to cause undesirable biological effects on fish farmed species and on other species living close to the nets.
Keywords
Cage aquaculture;
Antimicrobials;
Pollution;
Environmental impact;
Open sea aquaculture;
Fish health;
Marine Region
53
Northern Spain (GSA 6)
61
Eastern Ionian Sea (GSA 20)
49
Gulf of Lions (GSA 7)
71
South of Sicily (GSA 16)
57
Southern Alboran Sea (GSA 3)
47
Ligurian and North Tyrrhenian Sea (GSA 9)
45
Southern Adriatic Sea (GSA 18)
75
Northern Tunisia (GSA 12)
50
Sardinia (east) (GSA 11.2)
62
Aegean Sea (GSA 22)
69
Gulf of Gabes (GSA 14)
52
Northern Alboran Sea (GSA 1)
64
Crete Island (GSA 23)
72
Gulf of Hammamet (GSA 13)
48
South Tyrrhenian Sea (GSA 10)
60
Western Ionian Sea (GSA 19)
54
Balearic Island (GSA 5)
67
Levant (GSA 27)
46
Corsica Island (GSA 8)
51
Sardinia (west) (GSA 11.1)
68
South Levant (GSA 26)
70
Malta Island (GSA 15)
74
Northern Adriatic (GSA 17)
58
Southern Ionian Sea (GSA 21)
55
Algeria (GSA 4)
66
Cyprus Island (GSA 25)
65
North Levant (GSA 24)
56
Alboran Island (GSA 2)
28
Marine Region Map
