Mediterranean fish nutrition (Cahiers options méditerranéennes Vol. 63 2005)

Today, fish culture is taking on a significant role in providing high quality fish for Mediterranean populations. Therefore, Mediterranean fish production has grown over the past decade at an average annual rate of about 14%, becoming the fastest growing food production industry in the region. This development has been supported by many technological improvements, including a substantial increase in the knowledge about the nutrition of cultured fish species. But further developments in aquaculture are imposing new goals for fish nutritionists in order to improve fish welfare and health or to fulfil the consumer's expectations for fillet quality and human nutrition. Over the past years, fish nutrition researchers from these countries have produced an increased number of studies, though not always available for most scientists. Whereas research in North Mediterranean countries mainly deals with species cultured under very intensive conditions and papers are published in certain types of journals, in South Mediterranean countries a great deal of valuable information on the requirements of the same or other species under semi-extensive conditions is produced and is mainly published in national journals. Within this context, the Mediterranean Network on Aquaculture Nutrition provides a forum to collect this type of information, to discuss about future research areas and to reinforce cooperation between researchers from Mediterranean countries. The Network, on the occasion of the 10th International Symposium on Nutrition and Feeding in Fish (Rhodes, Greece, 2-7 June 2002), organized a 2-day Workshop in Rhodes (1-2 )une 2002). The main objectives were: (i) to review the current state of knowledge on the nutritional requirements of Mediterranean species, (ii) to review and discuss about aquafeed manufacturing within the Mediterranean region, and (iii) to provide a discussion forum for people involved in production and for scientists, concerning the previously mentioned issues and their practical application. The workshop was divided into 2 working days and included four technical sessions about energy-protein requirements and feeding, amino acid requirements, fatty acid requirements, aquafeed ingredients and production, and a final session of open discussion with producers about common problems related to aquafeeds and feeding. Each session started with a keynote introductory lecture and was followed by a series of oral presentations based on submitted presentations and an open discussion.