Indigenous Live Feed for Aqua-Hatchery Larval Rearing of Finfish and Shellfish: A Review

Abstract

Production of animal protein through aquaculture is one of the vital sources to meet the future food challenges for the increasing human population. Commercial scale farming of marine finfish is one of the food security measures but their seed production technology is yet to be established. Even though marine finfish such as sea bass, milk fish, mullet, grouper and cobia are successfully bred and spawned under captive condition, their commercial level larval rearing is not achieved due to lack of species specific live feed. Currently, micro algae, Brachionus plicatilis and Artemia nauplii have been used as live feed in fish hatcheries which gives desirable results for limited number of cultivable species. For enhancing the farming of more number of finfish and shellfish nutritionally compatible indigenous live feed is needed to be mass cultured. The planktonic organisms such as microalgae, infusorians, rotifers, cladocerans and copepods constitute potential live prey for a wide variety of cultivable aquatic species. The size range and nutritive value of these live preys have specific biochemical profile which could be used for supporting normal growth and survival of the larvae of cultivable species. Considering the importance of live feed, there have been many published reports on the life cycle, nutritive merits and mass culture technology of microalgae and zooplankton for sustainable aquaculture. This article reviewed the biology, nutritive value and culture methodology of live feed organisms for hatchery rearing of finfish and shellfish larvae.