QUALITY OF MEATS IN Dicentrarchus labrax REARED IN FRESHWATER AND SALTWATER AQUAPONIC SYSTEMS

Marine Aquaponics allows to rear important commercial fish and vegetables in handy systems. Most of the systems are developed in order to culture freshwater species since the number of edible plants able to tolerate salinity is lower respect to those that can be reared in freshwater. Exploiting the aptitude of some marine species to tolerate a wide range of salinity could thus represent an optimal solution. European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), the most reared species in the Mediterranean Sea, is an euryhaline species that has potential to be reared in freshwater aquaponic systems together with vegetables. The aim of the present work is to compare the effects of salinity on growth and meat quality of D. labrax reared in saltwater (ASW) or freshwater aquaponic systems (AFW). Beta vulgaris, an economically important vegetable, was the selected species in this study.