Larviculture of marine fish: problems and perspectives

Abstract

Availability of fingerlings has been one of the most critical factors for commercial success in marine fish farms. Nowadays, the life cycle of some species (e.g., sea bream, sea bass, turbot) is under control due to important improvements in zootechnics, nutritional quality of the prey and hygienic conditions of the rearing system. Survival, growth rates and quality of the fingerlings have improved considerably during the last few years. Nevertheless, new efforts are necessary to decrease the cost per juvenile produced. Efforts should be directed towards the optimisation of the rearing procedure and the variability and predictability of the results. This paper provides a general overview to some important aspects of the production techniques and problems in marine larviculture. Rearing techniques, including the benefits of `green water', how water and light and the respective advantages of the size, nutritional composition and enrichment of live feeds are considered together with aspects of the microbiological composition of the larval environment and pathology development and quality of the larvae. Suggestions are made as to how the production of marine fish larvae maybe improved and optimised.