Mapping the Energetic Costs of Free-Swimming Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata), a Key Species in European Marine Aquaculture

Assessment of the energetic costs of different living activities is of primary interest among fish biologists. However, assessing energy expenditure in free-swimming fish is challenging owing to the difficulty of performing such measurements in the field. Therefore, the use of implant fish with sensors that transmit signals that serve as a proxy for energy expenditure is a promising method to counter these limitations, allowing remote monitoring in tagged fish. The aim of this study was to correlate the acceleration recorded by the tag with the activities of the red and white muscles and the oxygen consumption rate (MO2), which could serve as a proxy for energy expenditure, in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), a key species in European marine aquaculture. The acceleration recorded by the tag was successfully correlated with MO2. Additionally, through electromyographic analyses, we determined the activities of the red and white muscles, which are indicative of the contributions of aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms during swimming. Finally, the tag implantation did not affect the swimming performance, metabolic traits, and swimming efficiency of the sea bream. By obtaining insights into both aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms, sensor mapping with physiological indicators may be useful for the purposes of aquaculture health/welfare remote monitoring of gilthead sea bream.COISPA Tecnologia and Ricerca, Experimental Station for the Study of Sea Resources, Via dei Trulli 18-20, 70126 Bari, Ital