Evaluation of Egg Incubation Methods and Larval Feeding Regimes for North American Burbot

Abstract

Incubation methods and larval feeding regimes were investigated for North American burbot Lota lota maculosa over 2 years. Three upwelling incubators were tested: 6.0-L McDonald-type jars, 2.0-L pelagic egg jars, and 1.2-L Imhoff cones. Larvae were allocated to five feeding regimes in year 1 (trial 1) and three feeding regimes in year 2 (trial 2). In trial 1, a live diet (marine rotifers Brachionus plicatilis and brine shrimp Artemia spp.) was administered from 11 d posthatch (dph) until introduction of a commercial diet at 21, 31, or 41 dph; the fourth treatment applied the commercial diet exclusively starting at 11 dph, and the fifth treatment used only the live diet. Trial 2 examined (1) exclusive use of live feed beginning at 16 dph; (2) use of live feed at 16-50 dph, which was combined with commercial feed at 31-50 dph, and use of only the commercial diet at 51-76 dph; and (3) use of the live diet at 16-50 dph, the addition of frozen brine shrimp at 31-50 dph, and use of the commercial diet at 51-76 dph. Approximate stocking densities for feeding trials were 25 larvae/L in trial 1 and 250 larvae/L in trial 2. Survival and total lengths (TLs) were measured at 52 dph in trial 1 and at 76 dph in trial 2. Incubation trials showed that Imhoff cones or pelagic egg jars significantly improved embryo survival relative to McDonald jars. Larvae fed a live diet for an extended time had significantly higher survival and TLs in both trials. Introduction of a commercial diet at 31 or 41 dph after live-diet feeding was successful. This study provides a basis for further development of burbot aquaculture.

Effects of temperature on the intensive culture performance of larval and juvenile North American burbot (Lota lota maculosa)

“…Following population declines in many parts of their geographic range (Argent et al, 2000;Arndt and Hutchinson, 2000;Keith and Allardi, 1996;Lyle, 1990, 1996;Stapanian et al, 2011), along with prospective commercial aquaculture interests, development of burbot culture has recently begun for both North American Lota lota maculosa and Eurasian burbot Lota lota lota (Harzevili et al, 2003(Harzevili et al, , 2004Jensen et al, 2008;Trebelsi et al, 2011;Wocher et al, 2011;Wolnicki and Kaminski, 2001;Wolnicki et al, 2002;Żarski et al, 2009). Due to the delicate nature and specific biological requirements of burbot early life stages, high mortality remains common, and further refinement of culture methods is needed (Jensen et al, 2008;Wolnicki and Kaminski, 2001).…”

“…Due to the delicate nature and specific biological requirements of burbot early life stages, high mortality remains common, and further refinement of culture methods is needed (Jensen et al, 2008;Wolnicki and Kaminski, 2001). Temperature directly affects metabolism and can influence growth, survival, and development of larval and juvenile fishes (Blaxter, 1992;Brett, 1979).…”

Suppression of Cannibalism during Larviculture of Burbot through Size Grading

“…Survival was lower among the metamorphosing fish in trial 2 than among the larvae in trial 1, which may have been due to weaning to artificial diets, a process typically characterized by high mortality in Burbot (Jensen et al 2008). Starvation during weaning may have also contributed to an increase in the number of consumptive and nonconsumptive attacks, collectively increasing mortality.…”

“…Burbot larvae are inherently difficult to culture, have exhibited low survival in captivity, and may require live feeds for up to 5 weeks (Harzevili et al 2003;Jensen et al 2008). Cannibalism in Burbot has been reported in intensive culture settings (Trebelsi et al 2011) and the natural environment (Kahilainen and Lehtonen 2003).…”

Establishment and partial characterization of a cell line from burbot Lota lota maculosa: susceptibility to IHNV, IPNV and VHSV

“…The unique life history of burbot has made it particularly susceptible to anthropogenic habitat encroachments (Paragamian & Willis 2000), and dwindling populations have been observed worldwide (Pulliainen et al 1992, Fisher 2000. In recent years, conservation aquaculture programs have become established both in Europe (Harzevilli et al 2003, Vught et al 2008 and North America (Jensen et al 2008, Jensen et al 2008b, Jensen et al 2008c) to aid in the recovery of this species. Such efforts have raised concerns regarding disease susceptibility in burbot; an issue that has remained largely unexplored.…”