The red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus), is a species of major importance for commercial and recreational fisheries throughout its distribution range in the Gulf of Mexico and eastern coast of the United States. Due to high market value and demand, significant efforts are currently being conducted to develop commercial aquaculture of this species. However, hatchery technology for mass production of fingerlings of red snapper has been a bottleneck until recently.
A summary of techniques for handling, sampling, sexing, maturation, spawning, larval rearing, weaning and fingerling production of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is presented. Wild broodstock were captured during the beginning of their reproductive season in May 2018 in waters of Port Canaveral, Florida. All fish were tagged and treated prophylactically for parasites with fresh water, hydrogen peroxide and formalin baths. After acclimation, seven female and five male fish averaging 5.5kg were maintained in a 60 m³ tank equipped with RAS and temperature control at a stocking density of 1.2 kg/m³. Periodic prophylactic treatments and controlled diet were administrated throughout the season. To condition and induce maturation of the fish, temperature was gradually increased each month, starting at 22 °C in January and reaching 26 °C in April, in the beginning of their natural spawning season. Diet of the broodstock was maintained at 3% of the biomass and consisted of squid, sardines and a vitamin and mineral supplement. The broodstock diet was enhanced with mackerel, shrimp, and polychaetes as the spawning season approached.
Continuous volitional spawns were obtained in the first months of the season. The first high quality spawns were obtained in August, when 3,135,050 eggs were collected with fertilization rate >65%. Approximately 1,000,000 eggs were stocked in tanks ranging from 400-L to 2,400-L. Eggs were incubated at 500 eggs L-1. Incubation of the eggs lasted 24hrs at 26 °C, and hatching rate averaged 80%. After hatching, larvae were passive transferred to tanks of same volume and stocked at densities ranging from 40-100 larvae L-1. Temperature in the larval rearing ranged from 24-26 °C. Algae paste were used as green water. S-strain rotifers, Brachionus rotundiformis, were exclusively used for first feeding. Enriched Artemia were gradually introduced as feed to the larvae and co-feeding observed until the onset of metamorphosis. During and after metamorphosis Artemia were gradually replaced by dry feed. Survival rates from yolk-sac larvae to post-metamorphic early juvenile averaged 5% in the first batch, and 4% in the second batch. Over 30,000 graded, high-quality juveniles were produced in the first trials conducted at the University of Miami Experimental Hatchery.