The aim of this review is to provide an update of Seriola spp. farming in the world, excluding yellowtail (S. quinqueradiata), and to identify strengths and weaknesses of these species as candidates for aquaculture diversification in different areas of the world. Farmed Seriola species other than yellowtail are yellowtail kingfish (S. lalandi) in Japan and Australia, longfin yellowtail (S. rivoliana) in the United States, greater amberjack (S. dumerili) in Japan, the Mediterranean and more recently Vietnam, and Pacific yellowtail (S. mazatlana) in North and Central America. Candidate countries for Seriola spp. farming development are China (although there are no published production statistics to date), New Zealand and the Canary Islands. The main bottlenecks for further expansion of Seriola spp. farming appear to be disease impact, lack of genetic improvement programs, and incomplete knowledge of nutrient requirements. Extensive experience from Japan, where the success of Seriola spp. farming has been based on an integrated system between producer associations, research institutes and central government, it is clear that the aforementioned technical bottlenecks need to be addressed within a framework of medium-term public policies supporting aquaculture development.

The efficiency of diets with the inclusion of Spirulina for Siberian sturgeon weaning has been tested. Three isoproteic and isoenergetic diets were formulated with an increasing level of Indian strain Spirulina (SP 40%, SP 50% and SP 60%); the diets were tested against a control diet without microalgae. The results show that Spirulina inclusion improves growth and that an inclusion level of 50% gave the greatest growth rate, a better favourable feed conversion rate and the highest protein efficiency. The fatty acid composition of fillets showed differences between the experimental and control diets: an increase in the Spirulina level induces increases in palmitic and linoleic acids and a decrease in the myristic acid. The control diet was characterized by high levels of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids. At the end of the experiment, statistical differences appeared in the fatty acid profile of the sturgeon fillet, mainly concerning high content of monounsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid in the sturgeon fillets. If the problems related to the high production costs are solved, Spirulina could prove a good partial substitute fish meal.

The Collective Article ‘New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records’ of the Mediterranean Marine Science journal offers the means to publish biodiversity records in the Mediterranean Sea. The current article is divided in two parts, for records of alien and native species respectively. The new records of alien species include: the red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis (Crete and Lakonicos Gulf) (Greece); the red alga Grateloupia turuturu (along the Israeli Mediterranean shore); the mantis shrimp Clorida albolitura (Gulf of Antalya, Turkey); the mud crab Dyspanopeus sayi (Mar Piccolo of Taranto, Ionian Sea); the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Chios Island, Greece); the isopod Paracerceis sculpta (northern Aegean Sea, Greece); the sea urchin Diadema setosum (Gökova Bay, Turkey); the molluscs Smaragdia souverbiana, Murex forskoehlii, Fusinus verrucosus, Circenita callipyga, and Aplysia dactylomela (Syria); the cephalaspidean mollusc Haminoea cyanomarginata (Baia di Puolo, Massa Lubrense, Campania, southern Italy); the topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva (Civitavecchia, Tyrrhenian Sea); the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatine (Plemmirio marine reserve, Sicily); the silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Saros Bay, Turkey; and Ibiza channel, Spain); the Indo-Pacific ascidian Herdmania momusin Kastelorizo Island (Greece); and the foraminiferal Clavulina multicam erata (Saronikos Gulf, Greece). The record of L. sceleratus in Spain consists the deepest (350-400m depth) record of the species in the Mediterranean Sea. The new records of native species include: first record of the ctenophore Cestum veneris in Turkish marine waters; the presence of Holothuria tubulosa and Holothuria polii in the Bay of Igoumenitsa (Greece); the first recorded sighting of the bull ray Pteromylaeus bovinus in Maltese waters; and a new record of the fish Lobotes surinamensis from Maliakos Gulf.