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Current Status of Larviculture Industry in Taiwan

Huey-Lang YangInstitute of Biotechnology

National Cheng Kung University

Taiwan

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Major Fish Fry Products in TaiwanMajor Fish Fry Products in Taiwan

• Total fry production value: 35 million USD

– Grouper: 11.9 million USD Milkfish: 4.6 million USD

– Ell: 3.5 million USD (capture) Others: 15 million USD

Others43%

Eel10%

Milkfish13%

Grouper34%

Taiwan Fishery Statistical Yearbook 2003

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Species of fish fingerling produced in Taiwan

By 2001

• Over 92 species of fish fry were produced for domestic use and export.

• Among them are

– 32 species of fresh water finfish species

– 60 marine finfish species

New species are developing by farmer all the time

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Examples of fresh water finfish larvicultured in Taiwan

1986Taiwan shoveljaw carpVaricorhinus barbatulus

1987Kuei-Fa bassSinsiperca chuatsi

1974Hybrid TilapiaO. Niloticus X aureus

1969Fu-so TilapiaO. Mossambicus X O. niloticus

1967Nile tilapiaO. niloticus

1946Mozambique tilapiaO. mossambicus

1975Blue TilapiaOreochromis aureus

1964Rainbow troutOnchorynchus mykiss

1963Bighead carpArisrichthys nobilis

Year of first successCommon nameScientific name

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Examples of marine finfish larvicultured in Taiwan

1996Tiger grouperE. fuscoguttatus

1986Orange-spotted grouperEpinephelus coioides

1998Humpback grouperCromileptes altivelis

1978Milk fishChanos chanos

1994Southern black sea breamArgyrosomus japonica

1980Yellow fin sea breamA. latus

1979Grey fin sea breamA. berda

1979Australian sea breamAcanthopagrusaustralis

1969Grey mullletMugil cephalus

Year of first successCommon nameScientific name

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1997Short dorsal fin pompanosTrachinotus ovatus

1994CobiaRachycentron canadum

1998White-spotted snapperL. stellatus1998Yellow fin snapperL. rivulatus

1998Red snapperLutjanusaregentimaculatus

1983Blue emperorLethrinus nebulosus

1997Large yellow croakerLarimicthys crocea

1987Malabar grouperE. malabaricus

1997Giant grouperE. lanceolatus

Year of first success

Common nameScientific name

From I.C. Liao et al Aquaculture 200 (2001) 1-31

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The fingerling production

Divided into two to three production operations : (grouper as example)

1. First operation: broodstock farm

product: fertilized eggs

2. Second operation: hatchery : from fertilized egg to 1 cm

product: 1 cm larvae

3. Third operation: nursery: from 1 cm to 3 cm and up

product: 3-6 cm fingerling

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Outdoor Culture

• The traditional but still the most common method in Taiwan

• In concrete or earthen pond up to 0.5 ha

• Fast growing and low cost, but unstable harvest highly depending on nature and environmental factors

• Difficult to control diseases, nutrition

• Non-reproducible

• Low quality, and cheaper

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Outdoor pond with air

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Outdoor ponds

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Outdoor concrete tanks

12Outdoor concrete tanks with shades

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Indoor Culture

• Number of indoor hatcheries is increasing, but still in small proportion

• Usually in concrete tanks up to 60 tons of water capacity

• Although indoor culture is high in cost and slow in growth, but its high survival rate in the rearing stage,

• and stable performance in subsequent grow out stage makes fingerlings of indoor culture more popular and higher priced in the market

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Comparison of Indoor & OutdoorLarval Rearing Systems in general

LowHighProduction costGoodPoorFry qualityFastSlowLarval growthEasyPoorFeed supply & water control

UnstableHighSurvival rate>100 tons< 100 tonsWater volume1.0-1.5 m1.0-2.0 mTank/pond depthOutdoorIndoor

Liao, 1996

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Comparison of Comparison of larviculturelarviculture of different speciesof different species

40-5050-6020-25Rearing period (day)

5-10%> 3%30-50%Rate of survival to grow out

Cannibalism,

Need space

Egg quality, Cannibalism, NNV infection

Low priceLimiting factor

EasyDifficultEasyLarvae rearing

Fairly complicatedComplicated, difficult

SimpleLarvae food

SpontaneousSpontaneous & Hormone management

SpontaneousInduction of spawning

EasySpontaneousSpontaneousInduction of maturation

EasyDifficultFairly controllableBroodstock

CobiaGrouperMilk fishCharacters

From I.C. Liao et al Aquaculture 200 (2001) 1-31

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BottleneckBottleneck• Non-reproducible: eg. The success frequency of Grouper

larvae production is less than 3%.

• Poor quality in outdoor farm

• Still depends on starting feeds produced in outdoor ponds, and all contaminated with pathogens

• Most of farm are family operation, produces less than 500 thousands pcs /year

• Frequent disease infection, no good effective prevention treatment or disease monitor system.

Inconsistent supply and unstable quality are major drawbacks to aquaculture

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Current progress of grouper larviculture

• Produce highly disease-resistant, reliable quality SPR or SPT frySPR or SPT fry(specific pathogen resistant or special pathogen tolerant) .

• SPR fry product will facilitate the industrialization of larvicultureand aquaculture

– Higher survival rate in later grow out stage; lower in cost of fry, feed and management

– Better quality control and traceability

– Eliminating the use of antibiotics

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Method: Production of SPR Fingerlings

• SPF (specific pathogen free) environment and standard operation procedures

• Production of pathogen free starting feed

– Constant monitoring of all incoming raw materials of larviculture for potential pathogens, and eliminate pathogen

• Disease Prevention System:

– diagnostics use and vaccination program.

Result: Production of SPR or SPT (Special pathogen resistant, special pathogen tolerant) fingerlings

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Photoincubator-seed algae

Scale up production of algae

21SPF Larva in indoor hatchery

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ReferencesReferences

• Liao, I., Su, H., Chang, E., 2001. Techniques in finfish larviculture in Taiwan. Aquaculture 200 (2001), 1-31.

• Rimmer, M., 1998. Grouper and snapper aquaculture in Taiwan. Austasia Aquaculture Magazine 12(1), 3-7.

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Thank you for your attention