A review on the biology and potential aquaculture of Dentex dentex

A very limited number of scientific studieshave been conducted on Dentex dentex inits natural environment yet, over the lastdecade, this species has been extensivelystudied in captivity. This sparid fish, highlyregarded in many countries of the Mediterraneancoasts, has recently been successfullyproduced, on a trial basis, in Greece, Italyand Spain, and may become a serious candidatefor aquaculture. Although the species was firstconsidered as protandric, later studies havecharacterized Dentex dentex as agonochoric species with bisexual juvenilephases. In recent times, it has become possibleto control and lengthen the spawning period forthe purpose of improving production management.Embryonic and larval development has beenextensively described, and the assaying of anumber of culture conditions and feedingprotocols have permitted us to overcome thedifferent stages of larval development.Survival rates, however, are still low and thefeeding requirements at each stage, especiallyduring the weaning period, are not clearlydefined. Nevertheless, growth rate, both atlarval and fattening stages, is high whencompared to that of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata).In spite of the many studiesperformed over recent years, the lack of a dryfeed precludes exploration of the full growthpotential of Dentex dentex under cultureconditions. During the larval and juvenileperiods, Dentex dentex exhibitsaggressive behaviour and high sensitivityto stress, and is prone to high mortality ratesdue to a number of pathological processes(systemic granuloma, epitheliocystis,vibriosis, etc.)