Biodiversity impacts of Mediterranean finfish aquaculture: integrating life cycle and ecosystem services assessments

The countries on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea utilize it for trading, fishing, and maintaining the ecosystems in the surrounding territories. In recent years, European Mediterranean countries have significantly increased the aquaculture of marine finfish, especially of the European seabass, (Dicentrarchus labrax), and the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Direct investments from the private sector, along with favorable systems in placement, have made this expansion possible. However, this growth has raised concerns regarding environmental integrity and biodiversity conservation in Mediterranean coastal ecosystems. Environmental changes due to climate change are coupled with anthropogenic needs intensifying impacts on marine biodiversity. In this regard, the effects of Mediterranean aquaculture finfish using the frameworks of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Services Assessment (ESA) still require deeper investigation to better understand their scope and limitations. This review aims to critically examine how LCA and ESA have been applied to assess the environmental and biodiversity impacts of Mediterranean marine finfish aquaculture, with a specific focus on European seabass and gilthead seabream. This study adopts a structured narrative review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2024. The novelty of this work lies in systematically evaluating the degree of integration between LCA and ESA approaches, highlighting methodological gaps that limit the representation of biodiversity impacts. By addressing these gaps, this review identifies pathways toward more holistic sustainability assessments that support environmentally responsible aquaculture development and long-term food security in the Mediterranean region.