The Importance Of Aquaculture

CHAPTER 1

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1. Introduction to aquaculture

Due to the fish health benefits such as excellent nutritional profile and good source of protein, fatty acid, vitamins, minerals and essential micronutrients, fish were therefore considered to be the food source for human population (FAO, 2012). Over decades, oceans were considered to be limitless and were thought to be able to provide enough food resources for human population (Stickney, 2005). However the dramatic increase in human population over decades has contributed in the doubling of seafood consumption worldwide; while the global catches from wild fisheries has declined. Therefore the traditional method of harvesting directly from the sea is no longer viable, because

Aquaculture is the bridging gap between fisheries output and the word fish demands. Over the years, aquaculture has become global and robust industry in producing fish species and has achieved successful production of fish species which are also economically important (Rippingale and Payne, 2001). In 2012 world production of fish reached 66.63 million tons valued at USD 138 billion (FAO, 2014). There are about 576 aquatic species that are farmed all over the world (FA0, 2014), amongst those species that are farmed in aquaculture includes species of Dusky kob (Arygrosomus japonicas), Groupers (Serranidae, Epinephilinae) and Tropical snappers

In an effort of identifying a new species for aquaculture hatcheries, several experiments have been conducted comparing the rotifers, Artemia and copepods as live feed for marine fish larvae (Shield et al., 1999 and Olivotto, 2009). Copepods have shown to enhance larval survival, growth and the percentage of normally pigmented individuals of marine fish larvae (Shield et al., 1999; Gopakumar and Santhosi, 2009 and Olivotto, 2009). The biological characteristics of copepod makes copepods nauplii an ideal principal live prey for marine fish larvae in larviculture (Gopakumar and Santhosi, 2009). Copepods therefore have been identified as potential candidate to be used in larviculture as alternative source of