Health & Welfare

Research on the methionine requirement for white shrimp showed a diet requirement of 0.45 percent using a protein-bound form of methionine. 

The ability to culture pangasius in the low-salinity waters typical of coastal shrimp ponds in tidal zones would permit shrimp farmers to culture an additional species of economic importance and aid in diversifying the commercial aquaculture production of these areas. 

Circular tank-based recirculating aquaculture systems can be used to effectively culture rainbow trout and other salmonids in a bio-secure and environmentally friendly manner that imposes a much lower water and wastewater footprint than traditional flow-through culture technologies. 

Collaborative work at Great Southern Waters has established a closed, genetically diverse breeding population of hybrid abalone. The breeding strategy is to produce and improve commercial stocks with the required hybrid traits by understanding the inheritance of those traits in the pure species and the hybrids. 

Studies have proposed the use of anesthetics obtained from natural sources as alternatives to conventional chemicals. The authors recently evaluated the efficacy of the anesthetic Eugenol with a small sampling of red tilapia fingerlings and breeders. 

Working on a system for oral delivery of IHNV vaccine via fish feed, researchers' goal is to adapt a proven oral DNA-based vaccine given to salmon in Canada to rainbow trout through encapsulation with a polymer or liposome. 

Separate family rearing can lead to tank-derived environmental effects that are statistically confounded with full-sib family genetic effects in shrimp breeding. 

Protein hydrolysates are currently used as partial substitutes for fishmeal in high-quality artificial diets since their inclusion in feeds promotes growth and survival. 

As part of the development of rearing procedures at the first commercial marine fish hatchery in Venezuela, a study induced spawning of lane snappers and evaluated the survival of larvae fed rotifers, two microalgae species and enriched artemia. 

A whole genome sequence allows the identification of candidate genes responsible for production and performance traits for a given species. Ongoing genome projects include programs for Atlantic salmon, Atlantic cod, Pacific oysters, tilapia, catfish and shrimp. 

The amount of fishmeal and fish oil used in aquaculture has remained static, while output from aquaculture has increased. 

Microbial surveys of hatchery operations at Oceanic Institute found a strong correlation between hatchery success and cultivable bacteria levels in the water supplied to the larval-rearing systems. 

Coloration in crustaceans is affected by a combination of factors: diet, environment and genetics. The genes required for coloration are not present in any other animal, but crustaceans use them to create a variety of colors and shell patterns. 

Spiny lobsters have a long, complex life cycle. Growing them through larval stages is a particular challenge. Spiny lobster culture is currently centered in Vietnam, where the industry depends on wild-caught animals for stocking and trash fish for feeding. 

Due to the inherent complexities of field testing, definitive laboratory-based test methods can better quantify probiotic benefits.