The importance of live‐feed traps – farming marine fish species |
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| Authors: | Rasmus Nielsen Max Nielsen Tenaw Gedefaw Abate Benni Winding Hansen Per Meyer Jepsen Søren Laurentius Nielsen Josianne Gatt Støttrup Kurt Buchmann |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark;2. Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark;3. National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark;4. Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark |
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| Abstract: | This article analyses the challenges of different live‐feed regimes for the rearing of marine finfish larvae and discusses the potential alternative live feeds to avert a future live‐feed trap. Live feeds are indispensable for the successful rearing of larvae of most marine fish species. Brine shrimps (Artemia) and rotifers comprise the live feeds of choice in marine aquaculture today. However, their nutritional composition is deficient in especially essential fatty acids, and enrichment with fish oil is needed. Fish oil is considered a limited resource owing to its origin in fully exploited wild fish stocks. Moreover, fluctuations of the natural population of Artemia will, most likely, influence future availability and prices. This emphasizes the need for optimal exploitation of available live‐feed resources and development of new sustainable alternatives, such as copepods. An array of solutions to these problems are presented to avoid a future live‐feed trap and to reduce dependence on limited resources that influence future production possibilities, species diversification, price volatility and productivity in the aquaculture sector. |
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| Keywords: | aquaculture economics live feed copepods Artemia Rotifers |
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