Pathological findings in farmed Sparus aurata with special attention to parasites of the gills, fins and skin

Abstract

The consumption of seafood is a human practice that dates back to ancient times, when communities lived as hunter-gatherers, travelling from one region to another. Out of necessity, humans had to adapt in order to survive and hence the skill of fishing was developed and fish became a major source of sustenance. The practice kept evolving throughout the ages and has climaxed into the modern aquaculture methods, trying to reduce the detrimental effects of overfishing which is a direct result of the global increase in seafood demand. The vast majority of fish are of the class osteichthyes, which is an extremely diverse and abundant group consisting of over 30,000 species. Taxonomically, it encompasses all fish that have bone skeletons, therefore excluding all fish that have a cartilaginous skeleton. It is also the largest class of vertebrates in existence today (Kotpal 2009).