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INTRODUCTION
1. AQUACULTURE. THE CULTURE OF SOLE
(Solea senegalensis, Kaup, 1858)
According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) the
Earth is inhabited by nearly 6.5 billion people and the population will increase to
between 9 and 10 billion by 2050. This concerns, particularly people planning on how to
feed the future world (FAO, 2005
).
Fish is one of the most widely used low-cost protein sources in many parts of the
world. However, it is clear that the availability of fish harvested from capture fisheries
to support the growing demand for fish protein will be inadequate. Thus, the world
needs to turn to producing fish, i.e. aquaculture. FAO defines aquaculture as the
culture of aquatic organisms, including fish, mollusks, crustaceans and aquatic plants.
Nowadays aquaculture industry plays an essential role in feeding future world.
In southern European countries, aquaculture production is concentrated on shore
based cultivation of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, L.) and seabass (Dicentrarchus
labrax, L.). Due to high production, markets have begun to be saturated. Investigation
of potential new species for aquaculture is one of the strategies to increase market
opportunities. Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis, Kaup 1858) is a common high-value
flatfish in Southern Europe, is well adapted to warm climates and is commonly raised in
the extensive earthen ponds along the south coasts of Portugal and Spain (Dinis et al.,
1999; JACUMAR, 2005).
Regardless of the potential economic importance of the culture of this fish species
(Dinis et al., 1999; Imsland et al., 2003) data about the susceptibility of captive
Senegalese sole to fish pathogens are still scarce. The control and prevention of
infectious diseases is a major goal in farmed sole. Several authors have reported
different diseases and pathogenic microorganisms (Rodríguez et al., 1997; Zorrilla et al.,
1999; Magariños et al., 2003; Arijo et al., 2005). Although, some studies reported Vibrio
harveyi and Tenacibaculum maritimum isolation from diseased fish (Zorrilla et al., 1999;
Cepeda and Santos, 2003), pseudotuberculosis, caused by Photobacterium damselae
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