The status of marine fish larval-rearing technology in Australia

Over 20 marine fish species have been studied forfarming or stock enhancement in Australia. However,commercial production has been dominated by the cageculture of Salmo salar in Tasmania, Thunnusmaccoyiiin South Australia, and to a lesser extent Latescalcarifer in Queensland. A major impediment to thecommercial production of new species has been thelarge-scale production of juvenile fish. Thedevelopment of marine fish larval rearing technologyin Australia has had four main influences over thelast decade: culture system technology from France,live food culture and nutritional enhancement fromBelgium, artificial diets from Japan and extensivepond culture from the USA. Microalgae and live foodculture is based on traditional aquaculture speciesand methods. Recent Australian research has focusedon induced spawning, the role of stress in inhibitingovulation, factors influencing initial swim bladderinflation in larvae, larval nutrition, extensiveculture and diagnosis of disease. Over the next 5years, Australian aquaculturists should be able toproduce industrial quantities of a range of nativemarine fish, either in intensive fish hatcheries, orin combination with extensive pond culture.