P. Sorgeloos

Abstract:

Thanks to its unique physiology and reproductive biology, the brine shrimp Artemia has become the most widely used live food in aquaculture. Annually over 2,000 metric tons of dormant cysts of Artemia are harvested and marketed as a plankton substitute for use in the larval nutrition of several species of crustaceans and marine fish in aquacultural hatcheries.

For a long time only two sources of the species Artemia franciscana have been commercially used, i.e. from the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA) and the salt works in the San Francisco Bay (California, USA). The exploitation of several other species and strains of brine shrimp on different continents, the introduction of Artemia franciscana populations in suitable habitats in Australia and Latin America, and its seasonal production in artisanal salt works in Africa, Asia and Latin America have revealed several new biological characteristics of the brine shrimp Artemia. In turn, this knowledge contributed to new developments and improvements in the production, quality control and nutritional manipulation of this vital food source in aquaculture.

(Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center, Univ. of Gent, Rozier 44, B-9000 Gent, Belgium, e-mail: patrick.sorgeloos@UGent.be)

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