The short-term effects of farmed fish food consumed by wild fish congregating outside the farms.
We simulated in the laboratory the possible effects on fatty acids and immune status of wild fish arriving for the first time in the vicinity of a sea-cage fish farm, shifting their natural diet to commercial feed consumption, rich in fatty acids of vegetable origin. The flesh fatty acid profile of golden mullet specimens was altered after 2weeks of commercial feed consumption, showing an increase in fatty acids of vegetable origin. The serum peroxidase and bactericidal activities, and head-kidney leucocyte phagocytic capacity, increased after eight weeks of the new diet, while the respiratory burst activity decreased. The extent of these changes cannot be considered large enough to regard them as compromising the health status of fish. More research is needed in order to elucidate whether the rapid assimilation of the dietary fatty acids could harm the immune status of fish when feeding for longer periods than two months.
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: danielgs@um.es.
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D
Gonzalez-Silvera
Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
F A
FA
Guardiola
Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
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H
Cordero
Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
A
A
Cuesta
Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
M A
MA
Esteban
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
F J
FJ
Martínez-López
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
J A
JA
López-Jiménez
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology; D017756:Aquaculture; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005399:Fishes / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology
D005227:Fatty Acids
Aquaculture; Bactericidal activity; Fatty acids; Golden mullet (Liza aurata); Innate immune system; Teleosts