Monday, May 13, 2013

New! IAF article: Enhancing the nutritional value of live feeds with microalgae

They are what they eat - Enhancing the nutritional value of live feeds with microalgae by Eric C Henry PhD, research scientist, Reed Mariculture Inc., USA.

Live feeds are proven to be essential first-feed for many larval fish, essentially all those that hatch from small eggs with limited yolk reserves and often immature feeding and digestive functions. Live feeds provide larval fish with essential nutrients that are naturally ‘microencapsulated’ in bite-sized packages. They include a high proportion of easily-assimilated free amino acids and free fatty acids, as well as digestive enzymes and beneficial bacterial microfloras in the gut contents of the prey. The swimming activity of live prey also stimulates feeding responses in larval fish, a vital concern because small larvae with very limited metabolic reserves can quickly starve if they do not promptly begin feeding actively. 

The natural live foods of such larvae are of course microplankton, both zooplankton and (although often not appreciated) phytoplankton. Natural zooplankton assemblages are often highly diverse and may include protozoa, rotifers, arroworms, microcrustaceans such as copepods, and eggs and larvae of nearly every group of marine animals including sponges, coelenterates, polychaetes, various crustaceans, mollusks, echinoderms, and even fish. This diverse array of prey organisms supplies multiple sources of essential nutrients. But it can be very difficult to obtain sufficient natural plankton to supply the needs of a hatchery, and natural plankton can introduce predators, parasites and pathogens. Hatchery-cultured live feeds are therefore the only practical and safe feed for many larval fish.

Click here to read the full article.


Enhancing the nutritional value of live feeds with microalgae

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