WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2024 23 Chlorella vulgaris as a Source of Vitamin C for Pikeperch Sander lucioperca Larvae Carlos Yanes Roca PHOTO 1. South Bohemian Research Center for Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses (CENAKVA), Vodnany, Czech Republic. Fish farming in the Czech Republic traces back to the 10th and 11th centuries, primarily concentrated in the South Bohemia region. Traditionally, farming has been semi-extensive, utilizing pond culture as the main production system. Polyculture stocks, featuring carp as the dominant species, constitute nearly 90 percent of total aquaculture production. Chinese carps (grass carp, bighead carp, and silver carp), along with traditional supplementary fish (tench, coregonids), and predatory species (pike, pikeperch, Wels catfish, and perch), are cultivated in these ponds. Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) is prevalent not only in the Czech Republic but also in other Central and Eastern European countries (FAO, 2020). Fully-grown pikeperch are highly sought after by the gastronomy industry and recreational angling community (Kestemont et al. 2015). This species is increasingly targeted by various international initiatives aiming for aquaculture diversification within the European Union due to its market value and rapid growth rate in recirculation systems (RAS) (Dalsgaard et al. 2013, Schäfer et al. 2016, Wang et al. 2009, Watson 2008). While the majority of pikeperch production currently originates from wild fisheries, production in RAS systems is on the rise (FAO 2020). Advances in husbandry techniques have resulted in enhancements in growth and survival, as well as deformity reduction, making pikeperch farming increasingly lucrative (Divanach et al. 1997, Hilge and Steffens 1996, Kestemont et al. 2007, Policar et al. 2013 and 2019, Szkudlarek and Zakeś 2007, Wang et al. 2009). The Institute for Intensive Aquaculture at Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters from the University of South Bohemia in The Czech Republic has been working with pikeperch for over thirty years (Photo 1). Due the recent increase in demand and popularity of such species, over the last decade our research has focused on the intensification of culture methods in order to obtain a reliable annual (CONTINUED ON PAGE 24)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjExNDY=