Keywords: Africa, aquaculture, copepods, ecology , sustainability.
Africa`s a quatic farming faces significant challenges with nutritional sustainability, larval survival, and the ecological impact of traditional practices. Nonetheless, copepods may offer a promising opportunity in addressing these issues. The objecti ves were to explore copepod and the potential benefits of embracing copepodology.
The study investigates copepods nutritional value, focusing on their role as natural and nutrient-rich live feeds . It assesses the ecological impact of incorporating copepodology into aquaculture systems, emphasizing the potential to maintain biodiversity and ecological balance by mimicking natural food webs. Finally, it measures whether copepodology offers a sustainable alternative to traditional wild-caught live feeds . A multidisciplinary approach, combining nutritional analysis, larval rearing experiments, and ecological assessment was used . Data was collected from farms, considering diversity in practice, target species, and environmental conditions.
The results suggest that through controlled cultivation, copepod-based diets contribute to enhanced larval survival, promoting faster growth and reducing mortality rates during critical early developmental stages. Copepod cultivation in controlled environments offers a sustainable alternative to traditional wild-caught live feeds, minimizing the risk of introducing pathogens to aquaculture facilities.