The response to stressors in the sea bass

Stress is an important physiological response that all animals, including fish, experience when they are subjected to alarm situations. The stress impact in fish and its consequences was early detected and assessed in relation to fish transport in aquaculture (Barton 1997). Later studies on fish stress response have involved all potential stressors, such as the natural environmental factors, but in particular those related to husbandry practices, including the social stressors. On the other side there is extensive scientific literature on the chemical stressors in water (pollutants, heavy metals, pesticides). In parallel to the study of the effects of stressors, a number of studies on stress physiology and stress responses have been developed during the last few decades.