Status of Marine Finfish Species for US Aquaculture Schedule of Presentations

Sunday, March 10, 2019 8:30-5:30 Chairs: Megan Davis (HBOI), Paul Wills (HBOI), Caird Rexroad (USDA),

Gene Kim (USDA), Mike Rust (NOAA)

Time Activity 1st Author Title Abstract

Page

8:30 AM Introduction

Megan Davis, Jeff Silverstein (USDA), and Michael Rubino (NOAA)

Welcome & Introduction

Moderator Gene Kim Experimental and Technologically Feasible Species

8:45 AM Presentation Reg Blaylock The Status of Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, as a Technologically Feasible Species for US Marine Aquaculture

1

9:00 AM Presentation Elizabeth Fairchild The Status of Spotted Wolffish, Anarhichas minor, as an Experimental Species for US Marine Aquaculture

2

9:15 AM Presentation Kevin Stuart The Status of California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus, as a Technologically Feasible Species for US Marine Aquaculture

3

9:30 AM Presentation Harry Daniels

The Status of Southern Flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma and Summer Flounder, Paralichthys dentatus as Experimental Species for US Marine Aquaculture

4

10:00 AM BREAK

11:00 AM Presentation Eric Saillant The Status of Tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis, as an Experimental Species for US Marine Aquaculture

5

11:15 AM Presentation Kevan Main The Status of Greater Amberjack, Seriola dumerili, as an Experimental Species for US Marine Aquaculture

6

11:30 AM Panel Panel Moderator: Caird Rexroad

Experimental and Technologically Feasible Species

11:45 AM

12:00 PM

12:15 PM

12:30 PM LUNCH

 

Moderator Paul Wills Commercially Ready Species

1:30 PM Presentation Neil Sims The Status of Almaco Jack, Seriola rivoliana, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

7

1:45 PM Presentation Federico Rotman The Status of California Yellowtail, Seriola lalandi , as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

8

2:00 PM Presentation Wade Watanabe The Status of Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

9

2:15 PM Presentation Daniel Benetti The Status of Cobia, Rachycentron canadum, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

10

2:30 PM Presentation George Nardi The Status of Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

11

2:45 PM Presentation Ben Reading The Status of Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

12

3:00 PM BREAK

3:30 PM Presentation Mark Drawbridge The Status of White Seabass, Atractoscion nobilis, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

13

3:45 PM Presentation Todd Sink The Status of Red Drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

14

4:00 PM Presentation Chuck Weirich The Status of Florida Pompano, Trachinotus carolinus, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

15

4:15 PM Presentation Rick Goetz The Status of Sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

16

4:30 PM Presentation John Stieglitz The Status of Olive Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, as a Commercially Ready Species for US Marine Aquaculture

17

4:45 PM Panel Panel Moderator: Mike Rust

Commercially Ready Species

5:00 PM

5:15 PM

5:30 PM

Session hosted by:

  

NOTES

1  

0786 - THE STATUS OF SPOTTED SEATROUT Cynoscion nebulosus AS A TECHNOLOGICALLY FEASIBLE SPECIES FOR US MARINE AQUACULTURE Reginald B. Blaylock*, Eric A. Saillant, Angelos Apeitos, Jason Lemus, and Robert Vega Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center University of Southern Mississippi Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Reg.blaylock@usm.edu The spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is a euryhaline, estuarine-dependent sciaenid inhabiting the western Atlantic from New York through the Gulf of Mexico, its center of abundance. The combination of its accessibility to anglers, aggressive feeding on a variety of baits, and desirable flesh makes it the most popular recreational fish in the Gulf of Mexico. Spotted seatrout culture is rooted in stock enhancement. Established techniques for broodstock husbandry and photothermal conditioning enable gamete maturation and spontaneous spawning of broodstock in tanks. Pond rearing techniques for the larvae were adapted from striped bass and red drum protocols in the late 1970s and well-established by the mid-1980s. Essentially, ponds were filled with brackish water, fertilized, bloomed, stocked, and occasionally supplementally fed with commercial fish food after about two weeks. Although produced in ponds to varying levels in Florida and South Carolina, Texas remains the leading producer of seatrout with more than 64 million 30-day old seatrout larvae produced for release since 2011. Despite what appears to be relatively high overall production numbers, low and variable production from ponds resulting from intracohort variability, cannibalism, and the inability to precisely control extensive pond systems has hampered culture of seatrout beyond the 30-day period. In 2005, the University of Southern Mississippi adapted the Texas broodstock protocol and began rearing seatrout for intensive production in recirculating systems. Through management of stocking density, feeding frequency, and feed ration, we developed a protocol that achieves an average of 40% survival through 30 days and up to 80% through 100 days using rotifers, Artemia, and commercial pellets. Preliminary work has produced a 10-12 inch fish in 10 months. While a practical protocol for seatrout production does exist, interest for commercial aquaculture has remained low. The future of seatrout culture will depend on establishing economic feasibility through market analysis. In particular, the potential to increase demand beyond coastal regions and production costs must be assessed. Technology improvements must include techniques for culture at higher stocking density, efficient feeding protocols for grow out, and optimal feeds for larvae, juveniles, and broodstock. Domestication and selective breeding for improved production traits have not been initiated, but genomic tools and techniques for in vitro fertilization have been developed and are available to support such programs.

 

NOTES

2  

0685 - THE STATUS OF SPOTTED WOLFFISH, Anarhichas minor, AS AN EXPERIMENTAL SPECIES FOR MARINE US AQUACULTURE

Elizabeth A. Fairchild* and Nathalie Le François Department of Biological Sciences University of New Hampshire Durham, New Hampshire 03824 USA elizabeth.fairchild@unh.edu  

Spotted wolffish, Anarhichas minor, though classified as an experimental species for US aquaculture, is being cultured elsewhere; commercial production exists in Norway and active and collaborative R&D is occurring between Sweden, Norway, Iceland. and Canada through WolfNet, a network coordinated from Nord University, Bodo, Norway. The life cycle of spotted wolffish has been completed in captivity. The relative ease of culturing spotted wolffish is due, in part, to its lack of a prolonged larval phase (5-6 mm eggs from which large larvae hatch with no requirement for live feed), low susceptibility to disease, wide tolerance of salinities, and high tolerance to stocking density, as well as its adaptability to various grow out tanks and systems (e.g., shallow raceways, circular tanks, sea cages, recirculating systems). Nutritional requirements of spotted wolffish, generally, are well established and there are a variety of available feeds. Unlike most commercialized fishes, spotted wolffish has a lengthy incubation phase (900 degree days) requiring eggs to be monitored carefully to prevent fungal and bacterial infections. To reach market size of 1-3 kg fish, it takes roughly 3 years. Currently, there are no captive spotted wolffish aquaculture programs in the US, thus commercializing spotted wolffish would require the appropriate infrastructure for rearing a cold water marine species and the long-term (5+ years) investment to jumpstart a program or business. The lack of a directed fishery in the northwest Atlantic results in a high value niche market to satisfy consumer demand for spotted wolffish. Currently this demand is supplied by imports only, most of which originate from Iceland (wild harvests) or Norway (farmed fish). If production costs can be kept low, which seems likely given its good growth in recirc systems and under high densities, spotted wolffish is a promising marine species to commercialize in the US.

 

NOTES

3  

0747 - THE STATUS OF CALIFORNIA HALIBUT, PARALICHTHYS CALIFORNICUS, AS A TECHNOLOGICALLY FEASIBLE SPECIES FOR MARINE US AQUACULTURE

Kevin Stuart*, Constance Silbernagel, and Mark Drawbridge Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute 2595 Ingraham St. San Diego, CA 92109 kstuart@hswri.org  California halibut (CH; Paralichthys californicus) is a highly valued species that supports an important commercial and recreational fishery along the Pacific coast of the United States. It is the largest of 18 species recognized in the genus Paralichthys, reaching a maximum size of 33 kg. This species is considered a promising candidate for marine aquaculture in California, with interest for both food and stock replenishment. It has been reared on an experimental level since the early 1980’s, with limited commercial efforts in Mexico.

Culture of CH in the United States has mostly been done on a small scale and has shown that it is technologically feasible to rear this species. Broodstock maturation and egg production can be accomplished without hormone therapy and fish will produce eggs for approximately six months of the year when ambient water temperatures are between 15 and 20° C. Larval culture of the species includes both rotifers and Artemia as live prey, along with the addition of greenwater during the rotifer phase. Larval survival to settlement (at ~28 dph) is typically very high (70-80% from egg), however losses during settlement in high density conditions can reduced this to 15-20% by the time metamorphosis to a juvenile is complete at ~50 dph. Juvenile growout to market size has been done on a very limited basis in flow through tanks. Females grow faster than males but even so, it takes up to three years to reach a market size of 1kg. A live market for this species exists and is currently being supplemented in California by the importation of Korean flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. Among the known disease agents affecting P. Californicus are ectoparasites including Trichodina sp., Uronema sp. and Cryptocaryon sp.; endoparasites including Anisakis sp.; and bacterial agents including Pseudomonas sp. and members of the family Vibrionaceae, such as Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae which has been associated with mass mortality events.

While culture of this species is technologically feasible, research still needs to be done in certain areas in order to realize commercial readiness. These areas include: improved nutrition across all life stages, selective breeding to improve growth rates, development of all female populations; and improved juvenile pigmentation; developing methods for disease prevention, diagnosis and control.

 

NOTES

4  

1124 - THE STATUS OF SOUTHERN FLOUNDER Paralichthys lethostigma AND SUMMER FLOUNDER, Paralichthys dentatus AS EXPERIMENTAL SPECIES FOR US MARINE AQUACULTURE

Harry V. Daniels Department of Applied Ecology North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 USA harry_daniels@ncsu.edu Interest in commercial foodfish production of both southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) and summer flounder (P. dentatus) began in the mid 1990’s at several universities, marine fisheries agencies, and research institutes on the East coast of the US. Initial research efforts focused on developing methods for controlled reproduction of broodstock and for mass production of fingerlings. Later work on commercial technology for growout mainly involved the design and use of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for land-based production in tanks. Foodfish production of summer flounder first met with some commercial success as several private companies began marketing their cultured fish to the live fish markets. However, importation of live flounder from Asia led to a depression of prices to the level where it was no longer economically feasible for US producers. More recently, state marine fisheries agencies, notably Texas and Alabama, are launching stock enhancement programs for southern flounder to support the recreational harvest of this popular fish. Some biological constraints common to both these flatfish pose unique challenges for producers of flounder for either foodfish or stock enhancement. Chief among these challenges is the strong degree of sexual dimorphism that occurs with the southern flounder and to a lesser degree with the summer flounder. Male flounder are much smaller than the females and rarely reach market size, effectively lowering the proportion of fish that are sold at the highest price. Additionally, the tendency toward male-skewed populations further contributes to the negative effect of dimorphism on production economics. The causes of sexual dimorphism are fairly well known, but are difficult to control. Economically viable foodfish production of both southern and summer flounder will be greatly improved when methods to control sexual dimorphism are developed.

 

NOTES

5  

1084 - TRIPLETAIL, Loboted surinamensis, A PROMISING CANDIDATE SPECIES FOR US MARINE AQUACULTURE

Eric A. Saillant*, Jason T. Lemus, James S. Franks, Kelly Lucas, Yonathan Zohar, John Stubblefield, Christopher Manley

School of Ocean Science and Engineering University of Southern Mississippi Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564 USA eric.saillant@usm.edu

The Tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis, is a pelagic fish that frequents tropical and sub-tropical waters of all oceans. Tripletail are commonly found associated with floating debris and structures and make frequent incursions in bays and estuaries where they are targeted by recreational fishermen. Their increasing popularity has led to the development of fisheries regulations in the southeast United States in recent years. Tripletail is appreciated as a gamefish but is also prized for its flesh of superior quality. The species is not prone to commercial harvest in the wild due to its solitary behavior but its potential as a food fish makes it a good candidate for marine aquaculture. Research to develop tripletail aquaculture to date have focused on hatchery methods and a preliminary grow out trial. Photothermal conditioning of captive-held broodstocks promotes maturation of gametes as shown by the occurrence of fertilized spawns following hormonal induction, but spontaneous spawning has rarely been reported in a mass spawning tank, and the fertility of spawns is usually very low, suggesting that the final steps of gamete maturation, ovulation and spawning are disrupted in current culture conditions. Hormonal induction of spawning using GnRHa slow-release implants was effective at inducing ovulation of females that reached the final stages of vitellogenesis. The effects of GnRHa implants on spermiation could not be formally evaluated during trials conducted to date. A growth challenge in captivity conducted at low density revealed growth from an average mean weight of 12.9 g to 1,015 kg in 210 days. Phenotypic sexing is a challenge as the species does not have secondary sexual characters and males usually do not release milt during manual stripping. Sexing of females by ovarian biopsy using a catheter is challenging and prone to error, and this method does not allow positive identification of males while running the risk of damaging their efferent ducts. Sex identification of captive broodfish was achieved based on plasma levels of 11-ketotestosterone and Estradiol-17 and has been applied to allocate males and females to mating sets. Informal interest in marketing this species has been expressed by restaurants and retailers but market potential would need to be characterized more rigorously as this species is new to most potential consumers due to the lack of commercial fishing. Protocols for effective spawning of captive broodstock, larviculture, and grow out still need to be designed so that the performance of this species in culture can be fully evaluated. Current data suggest that tripletail could become a successful species for commercial marine aquaculture assuming bottlenecks in the hatchery can be overcome.

 

NOTES

6  

1143 - THE STATUS OF GREATER AMBERJACK, Seriola dumerili, AS AN EXPERIMENTAL SPECIES FOR MARINE US AQUACULTURE

Kevan L. Main*, Matthew J. Resley, Nicole R. Rhody, Neil Sims, John Stubblefield, Constatinos C. Mylonas, and Yonathan Zohar

Mote Aquaculture Research Park Mote Marine Laboratory 874 WR Mote Way Sarasota, FL 34240 USA kmain@mote.org Greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili, is a pelagic and epibenthic species with a global distribution in subtropical areas of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and Mediterranean Sea at depths of 18 to 360 m. Greater amberjack is a prized recreational and commercial species and is the largest jack in the Carangidae family with maximum length of 190 cm and 80.6 kg. Wild greater amberjack have been captured from North Carolina to the Florida Keys and in the Gulf of Mexico in spawning condition from January through June, with peak spawning occurring in April and May. Greater amberjack are considered a good candidate for aquaculture due to their fast growth rate (5X greater growth rate than European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax), market demand and excellent flesh quality. Aquaculture production of this species began in the 1980s; however, there is limited commercial production of greater amberjack today, in Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey and Japan. Greater amberjack was identified as a priority fish for species diversification of aquaculture in the European Union (EU). Bottlenecks to commercial production were examined for the Gulf of Mexico stocks in a 2-year funded project conducted at University of Maryland and Mote Marine Laboratory (2013-2015), in the EU funded EMBRIC program, and in the recently completed 5-year EU funded project DIVERSIFY (2013-2018). Research in Maryland and Florida focused on broodstock acquisition, parasite management and control, evaluating the reproductive cycle of greater amberjack in captivity, and examining the effect of different environmental regimes on inducing maturation and spawning. Research in the DIVERSIFY project focused on reproduction, larval rearing methods, juvenile production, commercial on-growing trials in sea cages, health management and immune system characterization. Research in the EMBRIC program focused on developing molecular tools to help farmers monitor the genetics of their broodstock and determine potential improvements that could be achieved through selective breeding. Currently, there is no active research or commercial production of greater amberjack in the US; however, in the EU, there are a number of laboratories continuing to work closely with the commercial farms to resolve aquaculture industry bottlenecks. To develop the aquaculture technology needed for commercial production in the USA, there is a need for long-term funded research directed in the following areas: domesticated broodstock development, selective breeding, reliable captive reproduction, production of adequate numbers of juveniles, and health management strategies to control parasites in land-based and offshore production systems.

 

NOTES

7  

1055 - THE STATUS OF KAMPACHI, Seriola rivoliana, CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES

Neil Anthony Sims* and Lisa Vollbrecht

Kampachi Farms, LLC P.O. Box 4239 Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 USA

Kampachi, Seriola rivoliana – also known as the Almaco Jack, or Long-fin Amberjack - is currently cultured commercially at one offshore facility in Kona, Hawaii, which reportedly produces around 400 tons/year. There are also two additional facilities undertaking research on the species in the U.S. – one in Kona, and the other in Sarasota, FL, and an offshore demonstration project – the Velella Epsilon – that is applying for permits to culture a single cohort offshore of Sarasota, in the Gulf of Mexico. Elsewhere, there are two commercial farms operating in the Gulf of California, in Mexico, and significant production of S. rivoliana and its sibling species, S. dumerili, in southern Japan, alongside hamachi production (S. quinqueradiata). It is understood that all of Japanese production is solely from wild-caught fingerlings, and is largely based on moist feed.

The life cycle of kampachi has been completed in captivity, but there are challenges with spawning of F1s that are selected from production pens. There are currently no well-established selective breeding programs for the species, although SNP markers for growth and other performance parameters have been identified. The reliance to date on wild-caught broodstock represents a significant constraint to growth of the industry.

S. rivoliana is distributed throughout the warm waters of the world (though notably absent from the Red Sea). There is a commercial fishery for S. dumerili in the Gulf of Mexico. The previous commercial fishery in Hawaii for S. dumerili/rivoliana (“kahala”) has been shut down since around 1990, due to ciguatera poisoning, and the presence of cestode worms (Protogrillotia zerbiae) in the flesh. Trypanorhynch plerocerci infest wild dumerili and rivoliana at rates 87% and 73% respectively, though cultured fish have shown no presence of cestodes or ciguatera.

In net pen culture, all Seriola spp are vulnerable to rapidly proliferative infestations of skin flukes (Benedenia seriolae in Japan, Neobenedenia sp in warmer waters). Management of skin flukes represents the most significant challenge to production offshore.

Kampachi achieves high-prices in sushi markets, but there is a strong market preference for larger fish (over 3 kg; requiring up to 18 months grow-out, and higher FCRs) and a market expectation that mandates expensive, high-quality feed (protein levels over 42%, lipid up to 26%). Given the competition from hamachi, the size of the available sushi market in the U.S. at current prices is constrained. Current prices also limit the potential penetration into other food service. Traction in retail sales is also constrained by consumers’ lack of familiarity with the product and the high price-point.

 

NOTES

8  

904 - THE STATUS OF CALIFORNIA YELLOWTAIL Seriola dorsalis A COMMERCIALLY READY SPECIES FOR MARINE US AQUACULTURE

Federico Rotman*, Constance Silbernagel, Kevin Stuart and Mark Drawbridge

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute 2595 Ingraham St San Diego, CA 92109 frotman@hswri.org California Yellowtail (CYT; Seriola dorsalis, formerly Seriola lalandi) is considered a highly desirable species of marine finfish within the United States seafood market. With a range from the Southern Baja peninsula to Point Conception, California, CYT is the only Seriola species native to California waters. Commonly marketed as hiramasa, CYT is considered a promising candidate for marine aquaculture in California and has been reared on an experimental level since 2001, with commercial farming beginning in Mexico circa 2014. Currently, there is an ongoing effort to permit a commercial-scale cage farm in the federal waters off the San Diego coastline.

Historically, fingerling supply has been a critical limiting factor in the commercial production of CYT. But more recently, methods leading to successful commercial-scale Seriola spp. fingerling production have been refined and the aquaculture industry can now count on a consistent supply of high-quality juveniles. Broodstock maturation and egg production can be accomplished without hormone therapy and fish will produce eggs for approximately six months of the year when ambient water temperatures are between 15 and 24 C. Larval culture of the species includes both rotifers and Artemia as live prey, along with the addition of greenwater during the rotifer phase. Larval survival to 1 gram juveniles (at ~45 dph) is typically very high (30-60% from egg), however, issues with swim bladder inflation and other skeletal malformations can reduced the functional yield (post-grading) to 10-30%. Juvenile growout to market size has been done on a very limited basis in flow through tanks. Depending on the desired market size, it can take between 8-24 months to reach average weights of 0.5 kg to 4.0 kg, respectively. Among the known disease agents affecting CYT are ectoparasites including Benedenia sp., Zeuxapta sp., Trichodina sp., Uronema sp. and Cryptocaryon sp.; endoparasites including Anisakis sp.; and bacterial agents including Pseudomonas sp. and members of the family Vibrionaceae.

While culture of this species is technologically feasible, research and development still needs to be done in certain areas in order to optimize commercial readiness. These areas include: improved swim bladder inflation during larviculture, improved nutrition across all life stages, selective breeding to improve growth rates; developing methods for disease prevention, diagnosis and control. Most notable is the need for growout capacity both in sea-cages and land-based systems.

 

NOTES

9  

800 - THE STATUS OF BLACK SEA BASS Centropristis striata AS A COMMERCIALLY READY SPECIES FOR US MARINE AQUACULTURE

Wade O. Watanabe*, Patrick M. Carroll, Md Shah Alam, Christopher D. Bentley, Ted M. Davis, Clarke J. Morton, and John C. Graham

University North Carolina Wilmington, Center for Marine Science, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403-5927 Email watanabew@uncw.edu

Black sea bass (BSB) Centropristis striata inhabit continental shelf waters of the eastern US and is a member of the family Serranidae comprising true sea basses and groupers. Highly sought by commercial and recreational fishermen, BSB are sustainably managed with 2018 commercial and recreational catch quotas of 1,600 and 1664 mt (3.52 and 3.66 million lbs), respectively.

Wild broodstock are easily caught and adapted to RAS. The initiation and duration of the spawning period are controlled by photothermal conditioning, and eggs and larvae have been produced from Dec through Aug. Pelleted GnRHa (5-10 µg/g bw) implants are effective at inducing ovulation in post-vitellogenic females (> 500 μm MOD). Fertilized eggs (0.94 mm dia.) are obtained by strip-spawning, but induced volitional spawning of multiple females (“group spawning”) may yield higher egg quality. As protogynous hermaphrodites, most BSB develop as females and then reverse to male after several years, but methods for control of sex for aquaculture have not been developed.

Yolksac larvae (YSL, d0 post-hatching = d0ph, 3.0 mm TL) are reared to the post-metamorphic (p-m) stage in RAS using standard protocols for marine finfish, including greenwater Nannochloropsis oculata and enriched rotifers (d2 to d22ph), Artemia nauplii (d16ph-d22ph) and enriched metanauplii (d23 to d36ph), co-feeding microparticulate diets (55.5-59% CP, 10-15% CL) from d17ph, with complete weaning from live feeds by d36ph. Environmental optima for larvae are temperature (19-22oC), salinity (28-36 g/L), light intensity (1,500 lx), and photoperiod (16 L: 8 D). A 2,000-L LRT stocked at 25-30 YSL/L yields ~ 7,500 p-m stage (0.5 g) on d47ph (S = 12-15%). Early p-m juveniles are raised in NTs to a transport-ready stage (1.5 g, d58ph) at densities of up to 6.5 fish/L, with excellent resistance to crowding. Juveniles efficiently utilize diets with high proportions of non-fish meal proteins.

Advanced fingerlings stocked in 16-m3 RAS tanks (103 fish/m3) at 33 g/L and 21oC and fed a commercial pelleted diet (55% CP, 15% CL) reached average marketable sizes of 1 lb (454 g), 1.25 lb (568 g), and 1.5 lb (682 g, range = 328-1,350 g) in 17, 20.2, and 22.9 mos. post-hatching, respectively, with high growth variation. FCR was 1.1-1.2, and biomass density at harvest was 55 kg/m3. BSB are tolerant of high-density RAS culture. Cataracts and Pasteurella piscicida infections are controlled by degassing and immersion vaccination, respectively.

Traditional wholesale pricing for ocean-caught whole BSB (0.75 lb – > 2.0 lb) is size-tiered, with higher per prices per lb for larger fish. BSB growers target alternative niche markets for ultra-fresh (live or whole) product, which garner premium prices per lb for fish of assorted sizes. Availability of BSB fingerlings from UNCW’s hatchery has enabled startup RAS farmers on the eastern seaboard to grow and to market BSB, but full commercial development will require investment in research to lower production costs. Priorities include increasing growth and minimizing size variation through selective breeding and sequential grading, maximizing biomass densities in RAS, and lowering feed and fingerling costs.

 

NOTES

10  

1000 - THE STATUS OF COBIA, Rachycentron canadum, AQUACULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD

Daniel Benetti*, Ronald Hoenig, Jorge Suarez, Carlos Tudela and John Stieglitz

*University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149 U.S.A. E-mail: dbenetti@rsmas.miami.edu Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is an important marine fish species for commercial aquaculture throughout their distribution range in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The technology of cobia production from egg to market has been established in the early 90’s, and continues to be perfected to this day. Technology control and good market demand and price drove the development of their aquaculture in several countries. This species exhibit extraordinary scope for growth and can reach between 4-8 kg in one year, with females growing almost twice as fast and as large as males. Basic hatchery methods led to the development of breeding programs and, recently, efforts to produce monosex, all female cobia with encouraging results. Larval rearing techniques have been mastered and survivals of 15-30% are routinely achieved, providing enough high quality fingerlings to supply commercial growout operations. With so many favorable biological, technological and market attributes, it was anticipated that cobia aquaculture worldwide would exponentially grow from 5-10,000 MT in the 90’s to 50-100 MT in the last decade to several100’s of MT nowadays. However, these predictions have failed and those expectations from the industry are not materializing. We studied the reasons for that, and our analysis of the overall global status of cobia aquaculture show that there are as many challenges as there are advantages to raising cobia to a well established industry such as the salmon, sea bream and sea bass, for example. Cobia is not well known in most mainstream markets in (e.g. USA and Europe). Also, one of the biggest challenges remains the development of practical feeds that are ecologically and economically efficient for this species. FCRs are still very high. Progress towards developing an optimal feed for cobia at the different life stages has been slow, and still little is known about their nutritional requirements as well as the digestibility of most ingredients used for feeds formulation and manufacturing for their different life stages – particularly at near harvest stages, when > 80% of all feeds are used. Vaccines are still being developed to prevent diseases cobia are most susceptible to (e.g. Photobacterium), but mortalities due diseases are still relatively common, Because of its very fast growth rates, cobia demands exceedingly high environmental and nutritional conditions to thrive. It is not a coincidence that the only successful cobia farm in the Americas is Open Blue Sea Farms in Panama. It is located in an exposed, high-energy site, providing adequate environmental conditions for this species. The failure of several farms located near shore, coastal areas, as well as land-based ponds and RAS, show that cobia cannot be raised successfully under conditions other than the offshore environment, where stronger currents and greater depth increase carrying capacity. However, raising fish under these conditions require advanced technologies that are automated and expensive. Thus, cobia produced offshore must be sold at high prices to compensate high production costs, limiting its demand in a highly competitive white fish market. All these drawbacks combined limit cobia aquaculture potential and expansion of the industry.

 

NOTES

11  

0731 - THE STATUS OF ATLANTIC COD, GADUS MORHUA, AS A COMMERCIALLY READY SPECIES FOR US MARINE AQUACULTURE

George Nardi

EON Aqua, LLC 12 Birch Hill Road Lee, New Hampshire USA george@eonaqua.net

Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, has a long history of culture in the Atlantic. First as a candidate for stock enhancement in the 1880’s through the early 1970’s, and then as a commercially cultured species in the late 1990’s to the present time. Norway, Canada and the USA all were active in both the early enhancement activities and in the more recent commercialization of the species, Scotland would also be added to the list. Many millions of dollars, public and private, have gone into these efforts that was once seen, just a decade ago as a species to rival salmon as a cold water aquaculture species. Hundreds of thousands of metric tons of production where expected. Significant breeding programs in Iceland, Norway, Canada and the USA have made significant advances, but the growth of the industry substantially crashed after the downward turn in the market in 2008. This was not the only problem that slowed the commercialization process – fish health, deformities and market pressures from cheaper species easily substituted, such as Pacific cod, prevented companies from meeting their financial targets. The breeding programs have developed selected legacy broodstock and the only country that has rebooted cod production is Norway, currently projected to produce about 3,000 metric tons in 2018. Technically, the hatchery production of Atlantic cod is well proven, the key diseases that impacted the earlier year’s production are known, including VNN, Listonella anguillarum, Vibrio harveyi and Francisella. Nutritional requirements are well known and the level of deformity that was once at or above 50% of production has been greatly reduced. Due to the breadth of the market, the knowledge gained from the early pioneers, it may be once again time to relook at the species as a cold water candidate for commercial aquaculture, as they are doing in Norway.

 

NOTES

12  

0729 - THE STATUS OF STRIPED BASS, Morone saxatilis, AS A COMMERCIALLY READY SPECIES FOR MARINE US AQUACULTURE

Benjamin J. Reading*, David L. Berlinsky, L. Curry Woods III, Ronald G. Hodson, S. Adam Fuller, Carl Webster, and Andrew S. McGinty

North Carolina State University, Department of Applied Ecology bjreadin@ncsu.edu

Striped bass is an anadromous fish native to the North American Atlantic Coast and it is well recognized and regarded as one of the most important recreational fisheries in the United States. Decades of research have been conducted on striped bass and its hybrid (striped bass x white bass) and culture methods have been established, in particular for the hybrid striped bass, which is the fourth largest finfish aquaculture industry in the nation ($50 million). Domestic striped bass have been bred over many years and are available from the government for commercial fry production using recently developed hormone-free methods along with traditional hormone-induced tank and strip spawning. No commercial scale intensive larval rearing technologies have been developed at present and fingerling production is conducted in fertilized freshwater ponds. Striped bass can be grown out in marine (32 ppt) or freshwater (< 5ppt), however they require high hardness (200+ ppm) and some salinity (8-10 ppt) to offset handling stress. Juveniles must be 1-10 g/fish prior to stocking into marine water. Commercially available fingerling, growout, and broodstock feeds are available from several vendors. Striped bass may reach 3 lb/fish in recirculating aquaculture by 18 months and as much as 5 lb/fish by 24 months. Farm gate value of striped bass has not been determined, although seasonally available harvested striped bass are valued at $3.00/lb and cultured hybrid striped bass are valued at $3.84-$4.20/lb whole; the farm gate value for cultured striped bass may be as much as $5.00 or more per lb depending on demand. The ideal market size is between 3 and 6 lb/fish, which is considerably larger than the 1.5-2 lb/fish for hybrid striped bass. Other than common opportunistic pathogens, there are no major disease concerns at present aside from VHS in the Great Lakes region. Table 1. Some strengths and weaknesses of striped bass as an aquaculture species. Strengths Culture conditions and protocols have been reported and described in detail Euryhaline species that can be cultured in fresh to marine salinity water Captive breeding protocols, both hormone and hormone-free have, been developed Sperm cryopreservation protocols have been reported and described in detail Domestic broodstock (fifth or sixth generation captive bred) are available in 2018 Genome sequence and genomic resources are available Weaknesses Reliable fingerling production is not commercially available at present Commercial scale intensive larval rearing protocols are incomplete Intolerance of warmer water temperatures after age 1 year (for earthen pond culture) Are not permitted for offshore culture in the Gulf of Mexico (at present in 2018) Economic feasibility analysis needs to be conducted for recirculating aquaculture

 

NOTES

13  

0858 - THE STATUS OF WHITE SEABASS Atractoscion nobilis AS A COMMERCIALLY READY SPECIES FOR MARINE US AQUACULTURE Mark Drawbridge*, Michael Shane, Eric McIntire, and Connie Silbernagel

Hubbs - SeaWorld Research Institute 2595 Ingraham St. San Diego, CA 92109, USA mdrawbr@hswri.org The white seabass is a member of the family Sciaenidae, which includes croakers and drums. Along the west coast of the USA, white seabass is the largest croaker and very popular as a sport and food fish. The culture of this species has a history of more than 30 years, with the primary interest to date being for stocking as supported by fishermen. Growout to a market size and test marketing of cultured seabass has been done from sea cages in California and Baja California, Mexico. White seabass are induced to spawn by manipulating photoperiod and water temperature within a range of 10-14 hr of light and 14-18C, respectively. Females mature in 4-5 years and may grow to 44 kg. Eggs are spawned in batches of 100K eggs per kg of female body weight, with 7-10 day “resting” intervals. The eggs are relatively large (1.2 mm diameter) and pelagic. The hatchery phase for seabass uses standard intensive methods for marine fish starting with enriched Artemia. Application of green-water and feeding of rotifers is not required. Culture systems are designed to reuse the water and maintain good control over water temperature and biosecurity. Survival rates from egg to fully weaned juvenile at 50 dph are consistently high at 20-40%. Among the more common infectious diseases affecting white seabass are (1) protozoans, primarily Ichthyobodo sp., Uronema sp., Hexamita sp., Cryptocaryon irritans; (2) bacteria, primarily Vibrio spp. and Flexibacter maritimus; and (3) invertebrate parasites, primarily monogenean trematodes and copepods (Caligus sp.). Viruses such as herpes-type and viral nervous necrosis (VNN) have also been identified. White seabass are highly susceptible to gas bubble disease even at total dissolved gas levels of at or below 102%. The aquaculture potential for white seabass is generally good, although growth rates are relatively slow in cooler ocean waters. At 18 months fish have ranged from 0.6 to 1.0 kg depending on water temperature. An established market exists for wild fish, but due to fishing regulations their size is larger (2.0 kg minimum) and seasonal (early summer). Once the ocean is available for cage culture in the USA, those interested in farming white seabass will benefit from selective breeding programs and development and approval of more health management tools.

 

NOTES

14  

0748 - THE STATUS OF RED DRUM, Sciaenops ocellatus, AS A COMMERCIALLY READY SPECIES FOR MARINE US AQUACULTURE

Todd Sink* Robert Vega, David Abrego, Jennifer Butler

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Texas A&M University College Station, Texas, 77845 USA todd.sink@tamu.edu

Red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, is a commercially produced marine finfish species with global production in Taiwan, China, Israel, Martinique, Mexico, Bahamas, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, and the United States. In the U.S., red drum are currently commercially cultured in Texas, Florida, South Carolina, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with the majority (>85%) of production occurring within Texas. Broodstock management, reproductive biology, feeding behaviors and dietary requirements, growth and production requirements, and disease management are relatively well known for red drum compared to other candidate marine aquaculture species. Despite being commercially produced for more than 30 years, few red drum have been reared to maturity for use as broodstock and these individuals represent less than 5% of broodstock inventory for the industry. The majority of red drum broodstock in current use in the US were captured from the wild. Captive broodstock development and genetic improvement are major areas of research that could be undertaken to remove impediments of further industry expansion. Red drum reproduction methods have shifted from natural maturation in ponds and manual (strip) spawning to controlled photothermal conditioning, with or without the use of maturation hormones. Current photothermal conditioning methods utilize a 120- to 150-day cycle in which the natural seasons of a full year are condensed to within the allocated maturation cycle. These methods are extremely effective for reproducing red drum, allowing spawning to be accomplished on demand throughout much of the year using the same set of broodfish compared to a 2-3 month egg production period during the autumn under natural conditions. Most red drum production facilities operate their own hatcheries and typically produce only what is needed to supply the culture facility with little inventory left to supply producers or facilities that do not have the technical expertise or equipment necessary to operate a hatchery. Only a few hatcheries produce an excess of larvae for sale to grow out only facilities, which greatly limits the ability of the industry to expand in the U.S. Methods of production of juveniles to foodfish market size are well known. Outdoor pond production systems for grow out to foodfish size dominate the domestic an international industries for this species. The market size of red drum has shifted over time from 0.7 kg to a desired market size of approximately 1.4 kg at the time of harvest. To achieve these harvest weights, a 16 to 24 moth production cycle is required dependent upon mean temperature at the culture location. Best growth is achieved when using a starter diet for juveniles consisting of 50-55% protein and 15-17% lipid and quickly transitioning to a 44-45% protein, 13-16% lipid diet for foodfish grow out. Some producers Decrease to a 40% protein, 13-16% lipid finishing diet for the last few months of production for larger fish. Red drum currently achieves U.S.$7.00-$7.70/kg live weight at harvest. With the continued ban of commercial harvest of red drum from the Gulf of Mexico since the 1980s, many restaurants that serve traditional “redfish” dishes report shortages in availability indicating room for market growth.

 

NOTES

15  

1107 - THE STATUS OF FLORIDA POMPANO, Trachinotus carolinus, AS A COMMERCIALLY READY SPECIES FOR MARINE US AQUACULTURE

C.R. Weirich*, M.L. Anderson, R.M. Baptiste, F.T. Bueno, J. Cardenas, F.G. Cavalin, D.S. Cerino, M.D. Chambers, D.A. Davis, D.P. Farkas, B.A. Garr, C.T. Gothreaux, D.R. Groat, K.L. Main, J.M. Milchman, D.E. Mowry, T.J. Pfeiffer, M.J. Resley, N.R. Rhody, M.A. Rhodes, M.A. Riche, K.L. Riley, E.S. Wagner, P.S. Wills, and P.N. Woodward

North Carolina Sea Grant North Carolina State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology 303 College Circle Morehead City, North Carolina 28557 USA chuck_weirich@ncsu.edu Florida pompano, Trachinotus carolinus, are native to coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Brazil and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The species is especially common along the Florida coasts to North Carolina. A high-value carangid, pompano has been historically prized by both recreational and commercial fishermen. In 2016, the average dockside price of wild-caught whole Florida pompano was over US$9 per kilogram, with farm raised whole fish currently fetching from up to $22-$26/kg wholesale and from $35-$44/kg retail.

Because of their superior market value, coupled with a limited supply due to small and unpredictable commercial landings, in the 1960s and 1970s researchers began investigating the potential of Florida pompano for aquaculture. Although a number of studies and trials were conducted during this era; reliable hatchery, nursery, and growout methods were not established. However, beginning in the late 1990s a renewed interest in pompano as a candidate for aquaculture arose which was fueled by advances made with respect to other marine finfish species in the areas of captive reproduction, larval rearing methods, and diet development for nursery and growout phases. Over the last two decades, through the efforts of a number of public and private entities, protocols have been developed that have allowed commercialization of pompano aquaculture to be realized.

Florida pompano broodstock can be readily conditioned to spawn (26-28 C) and to produce large numbers of fertilized eggs multiple times throughout the year via hormonally-induced volitional tank spawning. Larval rearing is fairly straight forward using a standard feeding regime of rotifers, then Artemia, followed by co-feeding and weaning to microparticulate diets with metamorphosis occurring at approximately 18-25 days post hatch. Pompano readily consume formulated pelleted diets (floating, sinking, and slow-sinking) and growout of juveniles to produce market ready fish (0.5-0.7 kg) is fairly rapid (< 12 months) and has been achieved mainly via RAS and flow-through tank based systems, and ocean net pens.

At present, pompano juveniles and marketable fish are being produced by a small number of US based commercial ventures with operations in Florida and Central America. To expand the success of these existing businesses as well as to ensure sustainable industry development, there is an ongoing need for research directed towards topics including:

Domesticated broodstock development, selective breeding, and genetic improvement Diet development and refinement for growout Disease management strategies Economics and business planning Marketing strategies

 

NOTES

16  

0728 - THE STATUS OF SABLEFISH, Anoplopoma fimbria, AS A COMMERCIALLY READY SPECIES FOR U.S. MARINE AQUACULTURE

Frederick Goetz* and Jim Parsons

NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center Manchester Research Station Port Orchard, WA 98366 rick.goetz@noaa.gov

Sablefish (black cod), Anoplopoma fimbria, is classified as a “Commercially Ready” species for marine aquaculture in the U.S. In fact, it is currently being aquacultured in Canada by several companies (e.g., Golden Eagle Sablefish) some of which are vertically integrated. This species has a very high market value, is fast growing and fairly easy to rear in captivity. Sablefish do not spawn on their own in tanks, but methods for hormone-induced spawning are well developed. Females are batch spawners so that very large numbers of eggs (~250K/female) can be obtained/reproductive season. Methods for year-round gonadal maturation have been developed. Embryonic incubation through yolksac resorption and first feeding is long (~50 days) and carried out at 5C but highly successful. Research on the larval stage has now significantly decreased the time to artificial feed acclimation, making this phase more cost effective. Preliminary studies indicate that, with elevated temperatures, omission of Artemia in the larval phase will be successful but initial feeding with rotifers is still required. Sablefish exhibit significant sexual dimorphic growth that is evident by 500 gm, and techniques for neomale and all-female production have been developed. NOAA researchers routinely produce all-female stocks of sablefish and their growth is being assessed in net-pen grow-out. Markets (Asian) for sablefish historically required a 2.5kg fish but markets may be developing for smaller fish as well. Currently, mixed sex stocks of sablefish require up to 36 months of grow-out in net-pens but using all-female sablefish this can be shortened to under 24 months. Captive boodstocks are currently unavailable in the U.S. but are being developed. Females do not reproduce until ~6 years of age so broodstock development and genetic selection will be a long process but family differences in growth are very evident and suggest that selection for fast growth should significantly decrease time to market. The primary disease issue has been furunculosis (atypical Aeromonas salmonicida) in adults (not juveniles or larvae) and vaccination is partially effective.

There is currently no commercial grow-out of sablefish in the U.S. but several companies and tribal entities are now developing plans for commercial grow-out in net-pens and recirculation systems. A pilot-scale net-pen grow-out of all-female sablefish is currently being conducted with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe (Sequim, WA) to assess, growth, disease, environmental impact and economics. There are significant ancillary resources available for sablefish including the genetics, reproductive life history and microhabitat of wild populations from which broodstocks are collected on the Pacific Coast and a sequenced genome. A market and economic assessment of sablefish aquaculture is currently being conducted. Work needs to continue on controlling furunculosis, the development and crossing of captive broodstocks for enhanced traits, development of age-specific diets and strategies for commercial grow-out.

 

NOTES

17  

1023 - THE STATUS OF OLIVE FLOUNDER, Paralichthys olivaceus, AS A COMMERCIALLY READY SPECIES FOR US MARINE AQUACULTURE

John D. Stieglitz*, Ronald H. Hoenig, Carlos Tudela, Jia Geng, and Daniel D. Benetti *University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149 U.S.A. E-mail: jstieglitz@rsmas.miami.edu The olive flounder is highly regarded throughout the world as a commercial aquaculture species. Also marketed as “hirame” and “Japanese flounder” in seafood markets in the United States and abroad, this species is a prime commercial candidate for land-based commercial culture in RAS and flow-through seawater and brackish water systems. Decades of aquaculture research have been conducted on this species, leading to improvements in a variety of aspects of its aquaculture performance, including nutrition, all-female mono-sex production, and live transport. Additionally, the genome and transcriptome of this species have recently been sequenced, providing important insights and informing future directions of research. Native to the northwest Pacific Ocean and typically found in waters of 21° – 24° C, most of the global aquaculture production of olive flounder occurs in the Republic of Korea, with FAO reporting nearly 44,000 metric tons of global aquaculture production of the species in 2016. While much of this production is consumed in regional markets throughout eastern Asia, an estimated 700 metric tons of the production is exported to the United States each year. Market size for this species is typically ~ 1 kg, and much of the production is sold as live fish throughout the world. Given the well-established aquaculture production protocols, the high value of the species, and the existing global market, the olive flounder is a strong candidate species for commercial land-based production in the United States. Currently there are no known commercial producers of this species in the United States, and the University of Miami (UM) Aquaculture Program is the only known producer of olive flounder, albeit in pilot-scale, in the country. Broodstock have been conditioned to spawn year-round and survival of larvae through the juvenile stage has been consistently high ranging from 30 – 60%. Moreover, pilot-scale preliminary nursery and growout trails have yielded survival rates > 90%, with fish growing to about 800 grams in one year. It is anticipated that, in the near future, small-scale commercial aquaculture production of this species will occur in the United States to service the growing demand for high-quality domestically-produced marine fish.

 

NOTES