Aquaculture 2022

February 28 - March 4, 2022

San Diego, California

WRAC AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR ADVANCEMENTS IN MARINE LARVAL FINFISH NUTRITION

Matt Hawkyard*, Kevin Stuart, Mark Drawbridge and Chris Langdon

University of Maine

Cooperative Extension and Aquaculture Research Institute

211A Murray Hall, 23 Flagstaff Rd

Orono ME 04469 USA

 



 Marine finfish larvae often experience poor larval growth and high rates of mortality when cultured in captivity leading to economic inefficiencies in commercial hatcheries . P roviding marine fish larvae with adequate nutrition is challenging due to : 1) rapid losses of water-soluble nutrients from micro particulate  diets and  live feed enrichments when these particles are suspended in water , 2)  poor acceptability of  microparticulate diets  by larval fish , 3) challenges associated with determining the nutritional requirements of the larvae and 4) poor digestion of artificial diets by larvae due to the ontogeny of the digestive system .  In previous research funded by the Western Regional Aquaculture Center we investigated nutritional strategies to address  several of these challenge areas . During a previous WRAC-funded research project, w e developed and evaluated liposome-based technologies for the enrichment of live feeds as well as for direct feeding to marine fish larvae .  Specifically, we’ve used liposomes for the enrichment of  essential  water-soluble nutrients in live feeds and evaluated their impact on the growth and development of several species of marine finfish. Furthermore, we’ve found that liposomes can be included in larger carrier particles, termed ‘complex particles’ which can be used to : 1) improve feed acceptability and uptake of artificial diets by marine fish larvae though improved understanding of compounds that influence feeding , 2) provide a platform for the  oral vaccination of marine and freshwater fish and 3) deliver a broad range of nutrients and bioactive compounds to marine fish larvae. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the progress made in these challenge areas  as well as address opportunities for  future research .