Gilthead seabream - Fertilization

Since gilthead seabream is mainly farmed under intensive cage-culture conditions, there is no specific issue of fertilization of ponds. In the early days, gilthead seabream, along with other species, were ranched in lagoons and large open waterbodies (“valiculture” in Italy), with productivity ranging between 30 and 150 kg/ha/year; however, this practice has practically disappeared. Some efforts have also been made to farm seabream under semi-intensive polyculture conditions (with several other finfish species) in salt pans in some parts of southern Europe (Portugal and Spain). The productivity under these conditions is relatively low, less than 2 tonnes/ha over the full production cycle.  Production costs under such farming systems are relatively higher compared to intensive cage farms. Even under such extensive or semi-intensive systems, there are no special fertilization practices.