WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 33 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 34) This is the case with the meagre, which can reach 200 cm in total length (Quero and Vayne 1987) and a weight of more than 50 kg in the wild. It is euryhaline, can adapt to very diverse environments, has a fast growth rate and desirable flesh quality. The aquaculture potential of meagre in the Mediterranean is increasing, but this development is being carried out without regional assessments to evaluate the risk of escapes and determine mitigation and contingent strategies when escapes occur. In southeast Spain, meagre is becoming relatively common in the catches of local fisherman (Sanchez-Jerez et al. 2011), following the local aquaculture development of the species, and its increase in catches as a result of escapes is quite obvious. Meagre is considered a Mediterranean species but, despite claims that the species existed previously in the area, there are no reports of its appearance in catches during the last 100 years and it had been considered extinct in almost every part of the region (Mayol et al. 2000). Therefore, meagre should be considered a new species for many regions of the Mediterranean and escapes may have deleterious effects, given its high predation activity and growth. It should be considered a new introduced species in certain other coastal ecosystems. Proper management of the meagre is essential for an optimal status of Mediterranean coastal ecosystems; escapes of meagre have potential consequences for local ecosystems and fisheries that should be evaluated before the implementation of commercial aquaculture at full scale. In the long term, species with a low trophic level are also becoming increasingly important. In general, aquaculture is trying to decrease its reliance on fishmeal and fish oil in aquafeeds. The long-term sustainability of marine aquaculture depends on being able to grow marine herbivorous species. The vast majority of TOP LEFT, FIGURE 4A. Escaped meagre captured by artisanal fisheries (Photo: P. Sanchez-Jerez). TOP RIGHT, FIGURE 4B. Old picture, around 50’s, of a big meagre fished in Alicante. BOTTOM LEFT, FIGURE 4C. Escaped meagre captured by artisanal fisheries (Photo: David Izquierdo). BOTTOM RIGHT, FIGURE 4D. Escaped meagre captured by artisanal fisheries (Photo: David Izquierdo).
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