16S rRNA AMPLICON STUDY AQUAHEALTH 2017

Aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry accounting for 44% of total fish production worldwide. Nonetheless, yields are constricted by high mortality rates due to diseases. Bacterial community in the water is essential for water purification, water quality and fish health. In sediment, it has important role in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling. Insights gained from these communities can be used as a tool in assessing health and management of the aquaculture environment. Objective of the present study was to describe the water and sediment bacterial community on the farms and their respective control sites, link them to the environmental characteristics and detect season and site dependent patterns in bacterial composition and diversity. Sampling was conducted in spring, summer, autumn and winter in 2017 on 2 commercial European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) farms and control sites: in central Eastern Adriatic Sea and in southern Eastern Adriatic Sea. Physico-chemical parameters were measured in situ. Total DNA was extracted from water and sediment samples and 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing was performed, followed by bioinformatics and statistical analysis.