Breeding, hatchery production and mariculture

Abstract

Marine lobsters are a diverse group of large crustaceans distributed almost throughout the world oceans that support commercial fisheries in many countries with significant economic benefits. While rapid progress and phenomenal success were achieved in shrimp aquaculture throughout the world, progress in commercial-scale aquaculture of lobsters was relatively slow due to various biological and technical problems, especially the hatchery production of seeds. Although a marginal increase in total global landings was evident in recent years, production from world capture fisheries has generally been almost stagnant for many years. Lobster aquaculture research began almost 115 years ago, and post-larval production of several species of spiny and slipper lobsters, both temperate and tropical, has been achieved, though in limited quantities. Several diets for each developing stage of the larva were evaluated, and the physiological and nutritional requirements determined in order to successfully rear the phyllosoma larvae through the prolonged larval phase. Different models of rearing tanks including the shape, volume and flow rate of water in the larviculture systems were tested, as maintenance of the fragile phyllosoma larvae in a pathogen-free environment is the one of the most difficult aspects of larval rearing. Significant advances have been made in captive breeding and mass-scale seed production of the tropical fast-growing spiny lobster, Panulirus ornatus, and the slipper lobster, Thenus spp. Two generations of P. ornatus have been produced in captivity by the Australian scientists, which may pave way for commercialisation of hatchery production and genetic improvement of the species in future. The breakthrough has been achieved due to focused research on two key areas, the nutrition and health management of the larval culture systems. Lobster aquaculture research in India began in 1975 with the establishment of a Field Laboratory by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) at Kovalam, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on the southeast coast of India. Later, a few other Government research institutions and universities have also been associated with lobster aquaculture research. Different types of puerulus collectors were developed and tested to study the seasonal pattern of settlement. The spiny lobster P. homarus homarus was reared to sexual maturity and successfully induced to breed under controlled conditions. The phyllosoma larvae of the slipper lobster T. unimaculatus has been successfully cultured through to the juvenile stage. Studies on food and environmental requirements and growth of three species of spiny lobsters, P. homarus, P. ornatus and P. polyphagus, and the scyllarid lobster, T. unimaculatus, were conducted in indoor growout systems, and the economics worked out. The feasibility of capture-based growout of pueruli and juveniles in marine floating cages was tested along the southern and northwestern coastal regions of India, and the technology was transferred to local lobster fishermen. The chapter reviews the historical development of lobster culture across the world with recent advances in hatchery production and farming of lobsters in different aquaculture systems and the opportunities and challenges ahead to make it a commercial reality.