P. Sorgeloos Thanks to its unique physiology and reproductive biology, the brine shrimp Artemia has become the most widely used live food item 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 aquaculture hatcheries. The exploitation of several new resources, the introduction of specific species and strains in suitable habitats, the seasonal production in artisanal salt works 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 Ghent, Rozier 44, B-9000 Gent, Belgium)