Written on 26 August, updated on 12 September 2026
This list, taken from *Il Fatto Alimentare*, surprised me with regard to certain species such asturbot and tuna: many people consider them to be wild-caught fish. Often, they are not.
This is why this list is important: it helps to clarify and understand what we are eating.
This article is complemented by this piece and this one on fish and shellfish.
Fish and shellfish farmed in Italy
The shellfish sector is highly developed in Italy, thanks to the presence of lagoon and coastal environments, where the various farmed species find the best habitat in which to grow:
- Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), one of the most commonly farmed species in Italy, particularly along the Adriatic coast;
- The common clam (Ruditapes philippinarum), farmed mainly in lagoons and coastal areas, is highly prized in Italian cuisine;
- Oysters (Crassostrea gigas), where farming is on the rise, with active farms in Veneto, Puglia and Sardinia.
Crustacean aquaculture in Italy is still limited, but a number of experimental projects are under way, including one for the tank-based farming of the European lobster, the production of which is still marginal and is generally imported from the United States.
Among the fish farmed in Italy, the most common species are:
- Sea bream (Sparus aurata), farmed in floating cages at sea, is one of the most representative species of Italian marine aquaculture;
- Sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), highly prized for its delicate flesh, is farmed using techniques similar to those for gilthead seabream;
- Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), the most commonly farmed freshwater species, particularly in northern Italy;
- Sturgeon (Acipenser spp.), farmed both for its meat and for caviar, with farms mainly in the north;
- Eel (Anguilla anguilla), traditionally farmed in fishing valleys and lagoons;
- Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), farmed in land-based tanks or recirculating systems; it is a less common species but one of high commercial value.
- Golden-mouthed grey mullet (Argyrosomus regius), an emerging species in Italian aquaculture, prized for the quality of its flesh;
- Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and catfish (Ictalurus spp.): farmed in freshwater, with more limited production;
- Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus): it is not farmed entirely in captivity, but juvenile specimens are caught at sea and then fattened in floating cages until they reach commercial size.
they are the mainstayof Europeanaquaculture, require neither feed nor antibiotics, and can even contribute to water quality. Yet it is precisely mussels – the undisputed stars of European aquaculture – that are becoming one of the most obvious victims of a changing sea: warmer, less oxygenated, with a different nutrient profile to the past. And the figures are beginning to reveal a crisis that is hard to ignore. As highlighted in the latest reportby the European Parliamentary Research Service, which is entirely dedicated to mussels, European production has fallen by 20 per centover the last ten years , and in Italy, in the summer of 2024, some farms lost up to 100 per cent of their crop…
Fortunately, plans for the world’s first octopus farm have been scrapped
It was due to be built in the Canary Islands and had been criticised for years, but the company has abandoned the project
…For some time now, projects and experiments aimed at farming octopuses have been highly controversial. They are, in fact, highly intelligent animals, studied by scientists for their ability to solve problems, play and even, it is hypothesised, experience emotions. This makes them particularly unsuited to life in captivity. Their solitary and territorial nature is also incompatible with sharing cramped spaces with other individuals…
Anyone who watches the film *My Octopus Teacher* can no longer bring themselves to eat them
