Current Status of Probiotics in European Sea Bass Aquaculture as One Important Mediterranean and Atlantic Commercial Species: A Review

Simple Summary Probiotic supplementation plays a vital role in European sea bass wellbeing. Accordingly, it is important to increase our knowledge of and experience on their mechanisms of action and host effects. Although information on these aspects is available, further studies are needed to achieve optimal European sea bass aquaculture. European sea bass production has increased in recent decades. This increase is associated with an annually rising demand for sea bass, which encourages the aquaculture industries to increase their production to meet that demand. However, this intensification has repercussions on the animals, causing stress that is usually accompanied by dysbiosis, low feed-conversion rates, and immunodepression, among other factors. Therefore, the appearance of pathogenic diseases is common in these industries after immunodepression. Seeking to enhance animal welfare, researchers have focused on alternative approaches such as probiotic application. The use of probiotics in European sea bass production is presented as an ecological, safe, and viable alternative in addition to enhancing different host parameters such as growth performance, feed utilization, immunity, disease resistance, and fish survival against different pathogens through inclusion in fish diets through vectors and/or in water columns. Accordingly, the aim of this review is to present recent research findings on the application of probiotics in European sea bass aquaculture and their effect on growth performance, microbial diversity, enzyme production, immunity, disease resistance, and survival in order to help future research.

Automated summary

Probiotic supplementation is crucial for the wellbeing of European sea bass, and further research is needed to understand their mechanisms of action and host effects in order to optimize aquaculture practices.