Nutrition and feeding research in the spotted rose snapper (Lutjanus guttatus) and bullseye puffer (Sphoeroides annulatus), new species for marine aquaculture

Abstract

The spotted rose snapper (Lutjanus guttatus) and bullseye puffer (Sphoeroides annulatus) are fish species from the tropical Eastern Pacific for which controlled production of larvae and juveniles has been accomplished in recent years. Diverse topics relating to their biology and aquaculture production are currently under study, in particular the nutrition and feeding aspects required to formulate practical feeds and rearing protocols. Improvements in larval growth and survival are possible by feeding live food organisms with natural or enhanced essential fatty acids content and highly digestible artificial microdiets. The ontogeny of the digestive tract and the expression and activity of digestive enzymes have been described for S. annulatus larvae. The effect of various protein and lipid levels on growth and feed utilization has been studied in juvenile and on-growing fish. Both species have carnivorous feeding habits and require high levels of protein in their diets, from 40% to 45% (dry weight) in spotted rose snapper and above 50% in bullseye puffer, with the younger stages requiring the highest protein levels. Encouraging results have been obtained in feeding experiments with different sources of dietary protein from animal and plant origin to evaluate their suitability as feed ingredients in practical diets. Optimization of fish culture practices through feeding management has also been investigated. Trials with various fish densities and feeding frequencies in intensive culture systems are providing information to improve feed utilization and growth in on-growing fish. Further research is underway to evaluate factors in broodstock nutrition which have an impact on egg and larval quality, and into the use of various commercially available oil sources in on-growing diets. In this paper, the results on nutrition and feeding research with both species are reviewed and research needs to support their commercial production in the region are discussed.

Cryopreservation of mutton snapper ( Lutjanus analis) sperm

“…Interest in the culture of snappers (Lutjanidae family) has been developed throughout the world because of declines in wild stocks combined with a consistent high demand and market value (Watanabe et al 1998, Benetti et al 2002, Garcia-Ortega 2009. Some lutjanid species, such as Lutjanus argentimaculatus, Lutjanus johnii, Lutjanus russelli and Lutjanus sebae, are currently farmed in Pakistan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines (Hong and zhang 2002).…”

Toxicity of Cultured Bullseye Puffer Fish Sphoeroides annulatus

“…Adult female fish were maintained under hatchery conditions and examined for egg maturity, based on oocyte size by gonadal biopsy. Fish with oocytes larger than 0.5 mm were hormone-treated with LHRHa over 48 h [24]. Three days after the hormone treatment, eggs and sperm were obtained by manual stripping; fecundation was induced by mixing eggs and sperm in seawater.…”

“…This makes cultivation an attractive economic activity. In Mexico, the techniques for production of S. annulatus in fish hatcheries were developed in the past decade [21,22,23,24] and studies of the digestive tract ontogeny and capacity for digestion of food during larval development have been reported [25]. With the increasing interest in this species as a candidate for marine aquaculture in the tropical Eastern Pacific and potential toxicity issues, it is important to determine if this puffer fish is rendered safe and non-toxic under controlled conditions of cultivation.…”

Biotecnología para la producción masiva de juveniles del botete diana Sphoeroides annulatus: inducción hormonal y cultivo larvario

“…Las larvas alimentadas con rotíferos y copépodos hasta los 21 DDE midieron 7,4 ± 0,3mm de LT y se obtuvo una supervivencia de 38,5 ± 4,1%, mientras que las alimentadas sólo con rotíferos midieron 5,2 ± 0,4 mm de LT y una supervivencia de 21 ± 6,3%. Por otro lado, García-Ortega (2007, 2009) concluyó que al alimentar las larvas de botete diana con metanauplios de Artemia enriquecidos con ácidos grasos altamente insaturados también aumenta significativamente el crecimiento y la supervivencia de las larvas en comparación con aquellas alimentadas con nauplios de Artemia sin enriquecer. Además, al alimentar a las larvas con Artemia enriquecida, el destete puede realizarse desde el día 22 DE, lo cual disminuye los costos de alimentación y la mano de obra necesaria para producir el alimento vivo (García-Ortega 2007, 2009).…”

“…Uno de los principales problemas que presenta esta especie, al igual que algunas especies de su familia, es un crecimiento lento; varias investigaciones han demostrado durante la etapa de pre-engorda una tasa de crecimiento lenta (Abdo de la Parra et al 2006, García-Ortega 2009, esto ha generado inseguridad para un desarrollo pleno de la maricultura de esta especie en México. Por lo tanto, uno de los grandes retos es acelerar dicha tasa de crecimiento, para lo cual una de las líneas de investigación actuales en el CIAD está enfocada en este importante aspecto.…”