The status of white seabass, Atractoscion nobilis as a commercially ready species for marine US aquaculture

Abstract

The white seabass, Atractoscion nobilis, is a member of the family Sciaenidae, which includes croakers and drums. Atractoscion nobilis have numerous aquaculture characteristics desirable for commercialization, including excellent market appeal. Consumer and market surveys of farmed A. nobilis have consistently yielded reviews of ‘good to excellent’ when rated for taste, texture, appearance, and freshness. Wild adult A. nobilis adapt readily to captivity, are highly fecund batch spawners (100,000 eggs/kg of female), will spawn out of season, and produce eggs with high viability (median 73%) and with good hatching rates (median 88%). Atractoscion nobilis larvae are first-feed Artemia in clear water and weaning is complete by 30 days post hatch (dph). Survival of A. nobilis from unhatched egg to 50 dph is consistently 20–40%. A market size of 1.0 kg has been achieved in 18 months. Infectious diseases are uncommon and are effectively mitigated using recirculating systems with appropriate biosecurity. Atractoscion nobilis are highly susceptible to gas bubble disease, which is mitigated by vacuum degassing, culture in cooler temperatures, or using deep culture units like net pens. Commercial culture of A. nobilis will benefit from selective breeding programs, custom diet formulations, and more health management tools.