The success of any farming operation for fish and shellfish
depends upon the availability of a ready supply of larvae or “seed”
for on-growing to market size. The cultivation of fish and shellfish larvae
under controlled hatchery conditions requires not only the development of
specific culture techniques, but in most cases also the production and use of
live food organisms as feed for the developing larvae. The present manual
reviews and summarizes the latest developments concerning the production and use
of the major live food organisms currently employed in larviculture worldwide.
It describes the main production techniques as well as their application
potential in terms of their nutritional and physical properties and feeding
methods. The manual is divided into sections according to the major groups of
live food organisms used in aquaculture, namely micro-algae, rotifers,
Artemia, natural zooplankton, and copepods, nematodes and trochophores.
The document has been prepared to help meet the needs of aquaculture workers of
member countries for the synthesis of information in the field of aquaculture
nutrition and feed development.
