Observations on the breeding and growth of the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man) in the laboratory

Three male and 20 female prawns, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man), were observed for 390 days. They were maintained in brackish water (5%. salinity) at 28°C which was recycled continuously through a percolating biological filter. Illumination was artificial and did not exceed 10 lm/ft² (approx. 0.1 m²) at the water surface. Mating readily occurred in the experimental tanks (48 × 28 × 25 cm deep). Eggs were incubated for 20 days; the mean number of larvae per brood was 24 000 (range 50–98 100). Over 750 000 larvae were hatched during the experiment. Larger females had proportionately larger broods and larvae from seven broods were cultured to the post-larval stage at intervals throughout the experimental period, which demonstrated their viability.The increase in length of the adults at each moult was constant (arithmetic growth) and did not alter when ova were maturing in the ovary.Prawns achieved larger mean length increments after the environmental conditions were improved. The moulting frequency was very variable and, with one exception, did not change proportionately with length or age of the prawns.Females grew from 115 to 205 mm and males from 145 to 230 mm total length.Three females spawned more than four times in successive intermoult periods, and one produced viable larvae five times in succession.Two of the males sired viable larvae four and seven times respectively during one intermoult period.     

The breeding and growth of Penaeus merguiensis de Man in laboratory recirculation systems

Penaeus merguiensis was cultured through three generations in laboratory recirculation systems. Populations of 24–76 prawns produced, on average, 2–15 batches of 44 000 eggs per month throughout a 16-month period. Survival to metamorphosis was over 50% and post-larvae reached a size (0.15 g live weight) suitable for stocking in “grow-out” tanks 50–60 days after being spawned. In the subsequent 16 weeks prawns reached 5–7 g live weight with 24–58% survival.     

Breeding and larval rearing of the rabbitfish,Siganus guttatus (Bloch)

Females of Siganus guttatus reared to sexual maturity in canvas tanks were induced to spawn by using human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG, Ayerst) at 500 IU/fish or about 2 IU/g body weight. The amount of HCG used depended on the initial mean egg diameter; the smaller the diameter, the more HCG was used. Fish with oocytes characterized by germinal vesicle migration (mean egg diameter ≥ 0.47 mm) spawned without HCG injection. Fertilization and hatching rates for both treated and untreated fish were more than 90%. The larvae were reared to metamorphosis using rotifers from day 2–17, rotifers + newly hatched Artemia nauplii from day 18–20 and rotifers + newly hatched Artemia nauplii + artificial feed from day 21–35. In addition, Isochrysis galbana was introduced to the rearing tanks from day 1–10 and Chlorella sp. and/or Tetraselmis sp. from day 1–35. Survival rates of larvae tended to be lower as the broodstock became older.     

Egg incubation and larval rearing of navaga (Eleginus navaga Pall.), polar cod (Boreogadus saida lepechin) and arctic flounder (Liopsetta glacialis Pall.) in the laboratory

The embryonic and larval development of three White Sea cold-water fish species, rate of yolk sac absorption, age at first feeding and their survival and growth when fed different food organisms, were studied.Eggs were obtained from spawners in the Bay of Kandalaksha, White Sea, and incubated in troughs and aquaria at a mean temperature of 1.5 °C, slightly above that of the sea. The incubation period for polar cod eggs lasted 35 days, for arctic flounder, 42 days and for navaga eggs, 48 days. Emergent larvae were 5.5–6.0 mm long and began feeding at 2–4 °C, 5–6 days (navaga) and 12–14 days (polar cod) after hatching, when their yolk sac was still fairly large.They were fed day-old Artemia nauplii and zooplankton taken from the sea and consisting of Calanus and Pseudocalanus nauplii 400–600 μ in length.The period of establishing first feeding is the most critical for larvae.     

Optimisation of Artemia feeding rate for carp larvae (Cyprinus carpio L.)

Carp (Cyprinus carpio) larvae were fed on measured numbers of Artemia nauplii, and daily growth of the larvae monitored for a period of 10 days in order to determine the effect of varying feeding levels. A 34% reduction in specific growth rate was observed over the experimental period. At a temperature of 24 ± 0.5° C, carp larvae were found to require 200–250% of their body weight of Artemia nauplii per day for optimal growth and food conversion during the first five days of feeding, reducing to 100–120%/day over the following five days. The significance of these results is discussed in relation to potential economies of Artemia cyst use in hatcheries.     

Natural Spawning and Mass Larviculture of Black Porgy Acanthopagrus schlegeli in Captivity in Taiwan

Abstract.— The black porgy Acanthopagrus schlegeli is one of the most important marine fish cultured in Taiwan. Wild-caught broodstock were spawned naturally in captivity at water temperatures of 19–26 C in 1989 and 1990. Females produced 352,000 to 957,000 eggs per female during the spawning period. The hatched larvae were reared in 45-m³ rectangular cement tanks and fed initially on rotifers, Brachionus plicatilis . followed by Artemia nauplii. and finally weaned onto an artificial diet. Larviculture trials to 40 d produced juveniles of 13.1–14.2 mm average total length, at a survival rate ranging from 18.3 to 74.8%. Lordotic deformation was observed in the juvenile stage. However, when an oil skimmer was used to remove the oil film on the water surface, the incidence of lordosis was reduced from 14.4 to 6.1%. High mortality of the larvae occurred during the initial 10–15 d after hatching and cannibalism was observed when larvae reached 7 mm total length. Juveniles grew to size of 83.7–101.4 mm total length with survival rate of 27.9–28.2% in 100 d. The results indicate that the present technique can be used for mass seed production of black porgy.     

Spawning,egg attachment and egg retention in captive lobsters (Homarus americanus)

The numbers of eggs spawned, attached, and carried through to hatching were examined in three groups of captive lobsters (Homarus americanus). Wild born/lab spawned H. americanus, lab born/lab spawned H. americanus, and hybrids of H. americanus ♂ × H. gammarus ♀ spawned 8800–11500 eggs per female (weight range 336–945 g). Hybrid females attached 77% of all spawned eggs. Purebred females attached either most eggs of a spawn or fewer than 10%. In some instances where attachment was poor, females were known to be virgins or had been mated to a sterile hybrid male. Unfertilized eggs could attach, but the percentage which did was low. Some wild born/lab spawned H. americanus carried portions of their clutches through until hatching; however, many purebreds and all hybrids dropped their clutches before hatching. Possible factors which cause eggs to drop prematurely are discussed.     

福建地区池养匙吻鲟人工繁殖研究初报

利用池塘人工培育的匙吻鲟亲鱼进行人工催产,催产的3尾雌鱼均能排卵,采取干法人工授精,共获受精卵27.2×10^4粒,受精率42.5%-80.3%,孵出仔鱼13.1×10^4尾,孵化率为12.2%-82.5%。结果表明,在福建省气候条件下,池塘人工培育的匙吻鲟亲鱼能够成熟并成功地进行人工繁殖。     

Spawning Characteristics of the South African Mudcrab Scylla serrata (Forskål) in Captivity

Scylla serrata is a potential aquaculture species in Southern Africa. Information about its reproductive biology is required as a prerequisite to establishing hatchery technology. Adult female S. serrata were caught in the Umlalazi estuary on the subtropical east coast of South Africa and kept in captivity to observe and record spawning characteristics. Data collected included crab size and mass, time in captivity prior to spawning, fecundity per batch, relative fecundity, individual egg mass and size, size of zoea 1 larvae, incubation time, and hatch success rate. Of the 119 crabs kept in captivity 83% spawned in the maturation system– most within 40 d of capture. The crabs were highly fecund (mean relative fecundity per batch = 10,655 ± 4,069 eggs/g female) and the majority of the batches hatched within 288 h (12 d) at 27 C. Spawning in captivity occurred throughout the year, with a peak in late winter/early spring. This differs slightly from records of ovarian maturity stages of the crabs in the wild. A pattern of synchronous spawning was recorded where the females were observed to extrude their eggs in groups, commonly within 3 d of one another, separated by long periods of inactivity, suggesting an exogenous spawning cue. A total of 1,374,488 zoea larvae were obtained per kg of female per month. This means that if sufficient mature females can be caught from the wild, these could be used for stocking hatchery operations. The crabs were easy to maintain, mature, and spawn in captivity. This will facilitate future domestication which will eventually reduce the need for wild caught broodstock. The spawning characteristics of South African 5. serrata At in well with those observed for the genus throughout its distribution implying that ecological and fisheries management could be similar.     

Preliminary results of experiments on the rearing of Tasmanian flounders, Rhombosolea tapirina and Ammotretis rostratus

Tasmanian species of flounder were cultured successfully following stripping and fertilizing eggs after hormone-induced ovulation. The larvae were fed rotifers followed by Artemia nauplii. Survival rates of larvae from first-feeding to metamorphosis, which were as high as 94–98% for R. tapirina and 65% for A. rostratus, indicate that both species can be readily cultured in captivity.     

Complete Larval Development of the Fresh Water Prawn Macrobrachium vollenhovenii in Cameroon

The African River prawn Macrobrachium vollenhovenii is the largest of the local Palaemonidae prawns along the Cameroonian coast and an important target species for fisheries and aquaculture. A preliminary study on larviculture of this species was carried out at the IRAD-AQUASOL hatchery in Kribi, Cameroon. Berried females M. vollenhovenii were obtained from the Lobe and Lokoundje Rivers in the Southern Region, typical Lower Guinea rainforest streams. The larval rearing system consisted of a single recirculation system of four 65 L cylindrical plastic containers connected to a submerged biological filter container (65 L). Experiments were conducted three times in the same condition, with two batches of larvae reared separately in duplicate per experiment, at a density of 40/L, temperature 26°C, and salinity 16%. Larvae were fed from 1 day after hatching until metamorphosis to postlarvae (PL) with newly hatched Artemia nauplii, three times daily at the rate of 5 nauplii per mL water. The number of newly hatched larvae per female body weight unit was not affected by the female size and ranged between 531 to 1349 larvae g^?1. The six batches succeeded from hatching to metamorphosis, and the 11 distinct larval stages described for M. rosenbergii were found. Larvae in all the batches developed more or less at the same pace up to stage V. However, a clear difference in the timing of appearance of the developmental stages was observed between batches and individuals of the same batch during the subsequent stages. The transition from stage V to stage VI and from stage IX to stage X was longer than the passage to other stages and seems to be the critical rearing period of M. vollenhovenii. From day 20 onward to sampling, the larval stage index (LSI) showed that larval development of the batch 1 was significantly faster than for all other batches. The time for first appearance of postlarvae was variable between batches (41–74 days), and batch 1 larvae passed through metamorphosis within a shorter span of time (41 days). Survival up to postlarvae was variable among batches, ranging between 3%–9%, and was better in batch 1 (9.31 ± 1.09). The general poor performance in terms of survival and metamorphosis rates of larvae seems to be related to the wild condition of broodstock. To improve performance of larvae, domestication of stock may be necessary. This result is the first recorded success in larviculture of M. vollenhovenii in Cameroon.     

Induced spawning and larval rearing of the white seabream, Mylio berda

The white seabream, Mylio berda, was induced to spawn spontaneously by hormone injections of synahorin or human chorionic gonadotropin for over 3 months between December and April in Hong Kong. Fertilized eggs were also obtained during the peak spawning period between February and March through natural spawning or artificial insemination. The hatched larvae were reared in 500-1 circular tanks and fed initially on rotifers, Brachionus sp., followed by brine shrimp nauplii or copepod nauplii and finally weaned onto fish meat. Larval rearing trials for growth and survival to 60 days produced larvae of average length, 26.2 mm, at survival rates ranging from 1.32 to 11.62%.     

Outdoor rearing facilities of free spawning calanoid copepods for turbot larva can host a bank of resting eggs in the sediment

It is well established in Denmark to rear calanoid copepods in outdoor tanks for use as live feed during turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) larval production. However, the copepod assemblages, composed of a mixture of all development stages and therefore body sizes, vary over time and do not always match the larval needs. When turbot larvae reach metamorphosis and are transferred indoor for weaning, the outdoor tank sediments may reveal vast amounts of copepod eggs undergoing dormancy. Here, we report a copepod species succession firstly among Centropages hamatus and then Acartia spp. both with resting eggs as part of their life cycles as a result of two different nutrients treatments and a control. We found a tendency to a higher egg production and indeed more eggs in the sediment of nutrient amended tanks. In fact close to 5 million eggs per square meter, making up to 400 million eggs per tank was found in the sediment after one production. Instead of discarding the sediment between production batches, we propose to collect it and generate an egg bank. These eggs can be stored for months to a year, however, according to the results, a large loss rate occurred, which could be potentially decreased by the optimization of storage conditions. Those procedures will enable hatchery managers to apply newly hatched copepod nauplii exactly when the turbot larvae start feeding which would potentially solve the, often occurring, mismatch between the time of start-feeding turbot larvae and actual available prey field.     

Effect of number of spawns on the resulting spawn quality of 1-year-old pond-reared Penaeus vannamei (Boone) broodstock

For production of shrimp larvae in a commercial hatchery, multiple spawning of females is highly desirable, provided spawn quality is not affected. Using biochemical and production approaches, 349 females were individually followed, and 69 spawns were sampled over a 3‐month period. The quantity of eggs and nauplii per spawn was greater in females with multiple spawns. Several indicators of spawn quality, such as fertilization and hatching rates, per cent of viable spawns, and morphometric characteristics of eggs and nauplii were not affected by consecutive spawns. Analyses of egg and nauplii biochemical composition indicate that adequate transfer of nutrients to eggs is not compromised with successive rematurations and spawnings. Strategies that focus on the selection of shrimp with multiple spawning capacities could be a promising approach to increasing larvae production.     

Larval rearing and development of Siganus lineatus (Pisces: Siganidae) from hatching through metamorphosis

Larvae of Siganus lineatus were hatched and reared through metamorphosis in a 7 000-1 tank covered with a translucent roof. The larvae were fed phytoplankton (mixed cultures), rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis), copepods (Oithona sp.), and Artemia nauplii. Thirty-five days were required for all the larvae to metamorphose; survival was 800 out of 5 000 (16%). The rearing period and rearing criteria are identical to those required for S. canaliculatus. Three important developmental stages were identified: the dark-head carnivorous stage (the gut is a simple coil), the brown-head omnivorous stage (the gut is elongated and convoluted), and the juvenile herbivorous stage (the gut is highly elongated and convoluted into a complex coil). Over-feeding on Artemia nauplii may result in deaths among brown-head and juvenile fishes; adjustment of the feeding regime when larvae begin to develop into the brown-head stage is considered important. Copepods are an excellent substitute for Artemia nauplii during this period     

Effect of hybridization on reproductive performance of Oreochromis karongae,Oreochromis shiranus and Oreochromis mossambicus

The study assessed the effect of hybridization on reproductive performance of Oreochromis karongae, Oreochromis shiranus and Oreochromis mossambicus for a period of 120 days. Number of eggs per batch, number of females spawned, relative fecundity, egg size, hatching period, hatchability and hatchling survival were assessed. The results revealed higher number of eggs per batch and relative fecundity in the crosses where O. shiranus and O. mossambicus were females than female O. karongae. The results also revealed that egg size, hatching period, hatchability and hatchling survival were species specific. Significant differences were noted for number of eggs and larvae produced by the three species (p < .05). Interspecific and pure crosses for the same female species did not differ significantly for the number of eggs per batch, relative fecundity, egg size, hatching period, hatchability and hatchling survival. However, number of female spawned was found to be higher in the interspecific crosses of female O. karongae than in pure cross of O. karongae. Findings from this study suggest that hybridization can be used to improve reproductive performance of O. karongae as the females spawned increased, and it is a value addition in aquaculture management of indigenous species.     

Induced winter spawning and culture of larvae of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus rathbun

Female blue crabs were induced to produce eggs out of their normal spawning season. One group of crabs, held in the laboratory at 19° C, was fed every 7 days; another group, held at 15° C, was offered food at the same interval. Photoperiod simulated ambient winter conditions in both groups. Of ten crabs held at 19° C, two produced egg masses and one died when spawning was about to commence. Among those crabs not producing egg masses during the experiment, ovarian development at 19° C proceeded further than among those held at 15° C.Survivorship of larvae from induced eggs raised on a rotifer diet was comparable with that for naturally spawned larvae through the first 28 days of development.Zoeae survived well to metamorphosis when fed a diet of rotifers during the first two stages, followed by Artemia salina nauplii. However, only six zoeal stages were present instead of the usual seven. Possible explanations for this observation include genetically controlled variation, variation due to origin of eggs (induced), or effect of diet.Survivorship and growth were not adversely affected when synthetic sea water was used as the culture medium.     

Cultivation of the Paracalanid Copepod,Bestiolina similis (Calanoida: Crustacea)

First feed production continues to be a major barrier to the cultivation of many fish species. Although copepod nauplii are a suitable food, consistency and high production have been difficult. Temporal changes in production in batch cultures of the calanoid copepod, Bestiolina similis, were investigated to develop management strategies for the use of copepod nauplii as a live food. Population abundances and female egg production rates were measured, and recruitment and mortality rates were calculated. Relative expression levels of a molecular biomarker for stress, heat shock protein hsp70, were determined using real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The population cycle included a period of rapid increase in abundances, followed by a steep decline and a period of stable but low population densities. Initially, egg production exceeded 25 eggs per female per day and low mortality rates prevailed. The population decline was preceded by upregulation of hsp70 and followed by an 80–90% decline in female fecundity and an increase in mortality rates. Egg production rates remained below four eggs per female per day even after new generations of females reached adulthood. The predictable population cycle provides opportunities to coordinate nauplius production rates with first feed needs of fish larvae.     

Volitional Spawning of Black Sea Bass Centropristis striata Induced with Pelleted Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone-Analogue

The black sea bass is a high‐value marine serranid and is a prime candidate for intensive cultivation. Reliable methods for controlled spawning are needed to accelerate the development of hatchery technologies that result in mass production of healthy juveniles. During 1998–2001, spawning studies were conducted at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) and at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), Charleston, using pelleted luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue (LHRH‐a). From April through July 2001, 28 vitellogenic‐stage females, with mean oocyte diameters (MOD) ranging from 277–448 μm, were implanted with a 95% cholesterol‐5% cellulose pellet containing LHRH‐a (‐50 μg/kg body wt) at UNCW. In 10 individual spawning trials, females with MOD of 305–448 μm and maximum oocyte diameter × 475 μm spawned volitionally beginning 2–3 d post‐implantation (PI) and continued spawning over an average of 1.9 d (range = 1–4 d). Individual females released a mean total of 149,000 eggs (117,000 eggs/kg) with a mean buoyancy rate of 40.5% (floaters). Fertilization and hatching rates were 98% and 27.2% of floaters, respectively, yielding 14,600 yolksac larvae/female (12,600 yolksac larvae/kg body wt), and overall egg viability averaged 8.9%. In eight group spawning trials (2–3 females/group), average performance of females, including fecundity (103,800 eggs/female; 105,500 eggs/kg body wt), buoyancy rate (42.5%), fertilization and hatching rates (97.7% and 24.3% of floaters), numbers of yolksac larvae produced (10,900 yolksac larvae/female; 10,100 yolksac larvae/kg body wt), and overall egg viability (10.6%) was comparable to what was seen in individual spawning trials. From 1998–2000, a total of 58 vitellogenic stage (70% of oocytes 500 pm) females were implanted with pelleted LHRH‐a (‐50 μg/kg body wt) in nine group spawning trials (2–19 females/group) at SCDNR. Volitional spawning typically began 18–42 h PI and recurred every 1–3 d for an average duration of 9 d. Female groups released a mean of 560,000 eggs (84,000/female; 132,000/kg body wt) over the spawning period, with mean buoyancy rate of 25.7% floaters. Fertilization and hatching rates were 17.7% and 11.6 % of floaters, respectively, yielding 4,300 yolksac larvae/female (4,600 yolksac larvae/kg body wt). Overall egg viability was 2.9%. Captive wild‐caught black sea bass were induced to undergo repetitive volitional spawning by implantation of pelleted‐LHRH‐a, consistent with a multiple clutch group synchronous pattern of ovarian development. Group spawning appears to be a practical way to compensate for variable fecundity and egg viability of individual females. Research is needed to identify optimum hormone treatments and eligibility requirements.     

Ontogenetic development of attack behaviour by turbot larvae when exposed to copepod prey

Identification of fish larval behavioural traits permitting capture of specific live prey sizes is an important part of optimizing production of marine larvae. We investigated the capture success of turbot larvae (Scophthalmus maximus) at two development stages, 8 and 10 days post‐hatch (DPH), when offered small nauplii (129–202 μm), large nauplii (222–278 μm) and copepodites (342–542 μm), of the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa. At 8 DPH, turbot larvae had the highest capture success (67%) when offered small nauplii, with a lower capture success of large nauplii (27%) but totally lacked the capabilities to capture copepodites. At DPH 10, the larvae increased the capture success of large nauplii (47%) and achieved a few successful attacks on copepodites. Energetically, large nauplii were the most beneficial at both larval development stages. The swimming kinematics of the period prior to a strike by the larva on the copepod was examined, and the approach pattern of the larva was identified as a controlling mechanism for their strike distance, with the initial approach speed of larva at DPH 10 being significantly less than at DPH 8. In all successful attacks, the strike distance was less than 1.17 mm and was significantly lower than unsuccessful attacks. Since the approach pattern of the larva is linked to its capture success, it could be used as the basis for a feeding scheme based on the swimming performance of individual batches of turbot larvae.