Wreckfish (Polyprion americanus). New Knowledge About Reproduction, Larval Husbandry, and Nutrition. Promise as a New Species for Aquaculture

Abstract

Four different wreckfish (Polyprion americanus) broodstock batches were maintained in research facilities under different photo and thermo-period conditions, one in Greece, the Helenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR, n = 3) and three in Spain: Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO, n = 13) in Vigo, Aquarium Finisterrae (MC2, n = 21) in A Coruña and Consellería do Mar (CMRM, n = 11). The CMRM includes two centers that work together: Instituto Galego de Formación en Acuicultura (IGAFA) and Centro de Investigacións Mariñas (CIMA), both in Pontevedra. During the five years of the project DIVERSIFY (Exploring the biological and socio-economic potential of new-emerging candidate fish species for the expansion of the European aquaculture industry, 2013–2018) works focused on the reproductive biology of the species, broodstock, and larvae nutrition and development of incubation and larval rearing protocols have been carried out. In terms of reproduction, catch methods of new wild animals, the reproductive cycle, sperm characteristics evaluation, and spontaneous and induced spawning methods have been described for wreckfish. Regarding nutrition, the positive effect of two types of enrichment on the fatty acid profiles of Artemia and rotifer has been verified. The relationship between the fatty acid profile of the diets supplied to the broodstock and the fatty acid profile obtained in the oocytes and eggs of the females fed with different diets, has also been demonstrated. Finally, early larval ontogeny has been described and incubation and larval rearing protocols have been proposed based on the results obtained in the different experiments of temperature, growth, survival, and larval feeding that were carried out.

On the occurrence of the wreckfish Polyprion americanus in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea)

“…The slow reproductive maturation occurring at an age of 5-10 years in captivity, may be a problem for broodstock development and management, but its long juvenile stage represents a great advantage from the aquaculture viewpoint, allowing the commercialization before the sexual maturity, thus avoiding problems linked to maturation, such as reduction in growth (RODRĺGUEZ-VILLANUEVA et al, 2017). P. americanus reaches a large size at a relatively young age (WAKEFIELD et al, 2013): a study on wild caught specimens revealed a growing from 1 to 5 kg in a period of 10 months (RODRĺGUEZ-VILLANUEVA et al, 2011;PÉREZ et al, 2019). MACHIAS et al (2003) reported an increase of almost ten times in term of weight during the first year of life for individuals monitored in captivity, and with regards to the pelagic phase, fish reached their maximum observed size in 1 year; although in the wild similar lengths are not attained until 2 or 3 years of age (MACHIAS et al, 2003).…”

New species for EU aquaculture

“…The main impact of DIVERSIFY is expected to be the improvement of production technologies for the new/emerging fish species assessed in the project [10‐12] . Furthermore, DIVERSIFY provides useful information on consumer perception and preferences that could help to increase the consumption of aquaculture products in the EU.…”

Effects of fish oil substitution by hazelnut oil on growth performance, whole‐body fatty acid composition and enzymes of intermediary metabolism of juvenile meagre ( Argyrosomus regius Asso, 1801)

“…Meagre is the most promising new species for the Mediterranean aquaculture due to its high growth rate (2.5 kg in 24 months), good conversion efficiency (0.9 – 1.2), high nutritional value and low lipid content of the fillet (Fountoulaki et al, 2017; Grigorakis et al, 2011; Poli et al, 2003). The large commercial sizes it achieves are beneficial for processing, in a multitude of marketable products (Pérez et al, 2019), giving it a competitive edge in the marketplace compared to gilthead sea bream ( Sparus aurata ) and European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ). Also, it is a lean species, even in intensive culture conditions, with a high protein content andω−3 (long‐chain) LC‐polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (Monroig et al, 2013; Piccolo et al, 2016).…”