I forgot to inlcude, dragonets (mandarin goby) are caught using a long needle like poker, thats is, pushed thru the top fin (or worse, thru the body) and held down, being pressed into the sand. Dragonets heal extremelly quick, no one usually even sees the damage it so quick. After finding that out, I've seen the marks on 90% i've looked at. Mine pair, nearly 2 years in tank, look great (they both had capture marks).
How much would you pay?
- Thread starter GLD
- Start date
This is really interesting. I will try to see if I can see these marks on the Mandarins in the fish store. It is really too bad that most of the mandarin sold here in the US will not live too long. We even know what they need but aquarists often do not have a system set-up correctly for this beautiful fish. Most of them just starved.LilFishInBigPond":1bpcubg6 said:
My pair has being with me for 3 years. They spawn regularly.
From Tullock's Natural Reef Aquariums:
turtlespd wrote:
and from Borneman's Aquarium Corals:
To answer the question, IMO a smart reefer is someone who buys fish and corals knowing exactly what conditions are needed for that species to thrive. Since captive raised fish and corals fit this description so well, they are a good choice for a specimen that will lead a long life in your tank.
turtlespd wrote:
Well, I could look at it this way-- my pair of maroon clowns, and probably many generations before them, were born and raised in a tank and have never seen the ocean. My BTA was cloned from a larger one that had already acclimated to known conditions and also has never seen the ocean, etc, etc. How many generations would it take to convince you that these animals are not from the ocean??
I HAVE been reefing for several years. It doesn't mean I get to trade my fish in like cars when I get bored with them. Of course, since you equate your fishkeeping hobby with your car hobby I can see how this would make sense to you.
I agree with wombat here. I have not trade in any of my fish since I started my Aquarium. I still have my Marine Beta since 1997. I still have my yellow tang and my T. gigas since 1997. I choose carefully befor I put a fish into my tank. Once they are there, they almost alway there for life. I hope that years from now I will be able to say that my Beta, Yellow tang, Purple tang, Majestic angel, T. gigas and ......are all at least twenty years old.wombat":3rvbcmih said:
Posted by Little fish:
-Haven't heard that one. I heard that its a simple matter of placing the net over their tunnel entrance and then running a rod down into the sand beside the entrance, this forces them up into the net. Makes sense to me, I have caught crawdads this way before. :wink:
-Haven't heard that one. I heard that its a simple matter of placing the net over their tunnel entrance and then running a rod down into the sand beside the entrance, this forces them up into the net. Makes sense to me, I have caught crawdads this way before. :wink:
clarionreef
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- San Francisco
Hello from Cafe Internet in La Paz!
Yes, we do have internet capability in town.
I stay with the guys who breed the blue spot jawfish and the sailfin blennys while here. I save on hotel bills and they get dinner by the sea. Its a good deal.
Their dream is to in fact either collect clarion larvae or breed the clarion angel...Don't hold your breath but it is being seriously considered. Holacanthus are not Pomacanthus angels and it remains to be seen if the Taiwan successes can be duplicated.
We have dozens of hours in aquaculture vs. field collecting arguments and we have arrived at a consensus. Everything they can culture, we will buy. If they supplant even 5 % of our wildcaught inventory w/in 5 years it will be impressive. Unlike out of touch aquaculture folks, our have the misfortune to work with us and often visit the villages. They relize how important wildcaught fish are to the village fisherman and since our example is sustainable and growing...wheres the damage. They must point to other areas and other countries to find the damage and the justification to replace wildcaught with netcaught.
FUTHERMORE, our poor biologists get to look the fisherman in the eye and as such receive a reality check. My main diver asked the biologist, Rudolfo, "What do you think we will do if tropical fish are banned in favor of aquaculture? Sit down and starve?" What?" Asked Rudolfo.
"We will spear grouper, parrotfish and snapper, smuggle sea cucumber and abalone and lobster of course!" To that I added..."Duh..."
What else people? Wheres the imagine environmental benefit? The reef will get the hell pounded out of it if you ban every intelligent, sustainable harvest from the wild. Poor people need more sustainable livlihood, not less. Our HAND IN HAND approach is the smart way to do this and the sales of any aquaculture stock will go thru the village cooperative.
Don't pit lab geeks against poor fisherman and pose it as environmentally intelligent. It may have a much worse impact on the reef!
Our own lab geeks are ruined...they now have more of an environmental and social conscience then they would've if they stayed in the lab repeating the same old dogma. But...they are more useful to society now.
Dope in Florida? Why of course. What else would you expect considering how many players in the Keys got their start smuggling the stuff? Using 'quin' or the juice or quinaldine w/ isoprophyl alcohol has been a way of life in the Keys for decades! Billy Causey and his wife would out collect em all but then again they were real fish people. The 'get money quick' people have no problem using drugs from the outset. Whatever you train with first is what becomes 'natural' to you and way too many gfuys in Florida got started with dope. In the 20+ year fight against drug use in SE Asia, I've enjoyed the support of real fish collectors in Australia and Hawaii but never Florida [except for the Causeys]. This is because drug collectors are already ashamed of what they do and want to stay out of the limelight...like drugged fish exporters, importers etc.
There are more collectors now using nets than before and they are to be congratulated. To the rest of you guys...go to hell for all the fry you've fried and all the larvae you've nuked. Shame on you all!
Maybe we could bring some Mexicans over to Florida and show you boys how to catch fish properly! Mac want to sponsor that?
Speaking of Mexico, its waiting outside. I have to go.
Sincerely, Steve
Yes, we do have internet capability in town.
I stay with the guys who breed the blue spot jawfish and the sailfin blennys while here. I save on hotel bills and they get dinner by the sea. Its a good deal.
Their dream is to in fact either collect clarion larvae or breed the clarion angel...Don't hold your breath but it is being seriously considered. Holacanthus are not Pomacanthus angels and it remains to be seen if the Taiwan successes can be duplicated.
We have dozens of hours in aquaculture vs. field collecting arguments and we have arrived at a consensus. Everything they can culture, we will buy. If they supplant even 5 % of our wildcaught inventory w/in 5 years it will be impressive. Unlike out of touch aquaculture folks, our have the misfortune to work with us and often visit the villages. They relize how important wildcaught fish are to the village fisherman and since our example is sustainable and growing...wheres the damage. They must point to other areas and other countries to find the damage and the justification to replace wildcaught with netcaught.
FUTHERMORE, our poor biologists get to look the fisherman in the eye and as such receive a reality check. My main diver asked the biologist, Rudolfo, "What do you think we will do if tropical fish are banned in favor of aquaculture? Sit down and starve?" What?" Asked Rudolfo.
"We will spear grouper, parrotfish and snapper, smuggle sea cucumber and abalone and lobster of course!" To that I added..."Duh..."
What else people? Wheres the imagine environmental benefit? The reef will get the hell pounded out of it if you ban every intelligent, sustainable harvest from the wild. Poor people need more sustainable livlihood, not less. Our HAND IN HAND approach is the smart way to do this and the sales of any aquaculture stock will go thru the village cooperative.
Don't pit lab geeks against poor fisherman and pose it as environmentally intelligent. It may have a much worse impact on the reef!
Our own lab geeks are ruined...they now have more of an environmental and social conscience then they would've if they stayed in the lab repeating the same old dogma. But...they are more useful to society now.
Dope in Florida? Why of course. What else would you expect considering how many players in the Keys got their start smuggling the stuff? Using 'quin' or the juice or quinaldine w/ isoprophyl alcohol has been a way of life in the Keys for decades! Billy Causey and his wife would out collect em all but then again they were real fish people. The 'get money quick' people have no problem using drugs from the outset. Whatever you train with first is what becomes 'natural' to you and way too many gfuys in Florida got started with dope. In the 20+ year fight against drug use in SE Asia, I've enjoyed the support of real fish collectors in Australia and Hawaii but never Florida [except for the Causeys]. This is because drug collectors are already ashamed of what they do and want to stay out of the limelight...like drugged fish exporters, importers etc.
There are more collectors now using nets than before and they are to be congratulated. To the rest of you guys...go to hell for all the fry you've fried and all the larvae you've nuked. Shame on you all!
Maybe we could bring some Mexicans over to Florida and show you boys how to catch fish properly! Mac want to sponsor that?
Speaking of Mexico, its waiting outside. I have to go.
Sincerely, Steve
cwa46 wrote:
Wow, sounds like you've got it all figured out!! Can you throw in world peace too?? It took decades of clearcutting before the consensus of self sustaining forests and selective harvesting finally made sense to the logging industry because of its long term economic value, and hopefully it won't take that long with the oceans. I completely agree that selective capture of reef fish in a self sustainable way is the easiest and most economical way, but in the meantime why shun away from tank raised?? The extra money spent is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the tank equipment and livestock, and you get a better specimen that has gone through less stress.
Posted by Cortez:
-So I ask again, if we can't even stop this method in Fla, then why would anyone think there is a hope to stop it in a far away land?
-It seems like you are saying here Steve, that more fish can be caught by using drugs as opposed to nets, was that your intention?
Steve
-So I ask again, if we can't even stop this method in Fla, then why would anyone think there is a hope to stop it in a far away land?
-It seems like you are saying here Steve, that more fish can be caught by using drugs as opposed to nets, was that your intention?
Steve
SPC wrote:
-Haven't heard that one. I heard that its a simple matter of placing the net over their tunnel entrance and then running a rod down into the sand beside the entrance, this forces them up into the net. Makes sense to me, I have caught crawdads this way before.
SPC, I've heard that method too. They collect garden eels in the same manner. Crawdads, excellent idea, I usually collect the ones I can see, now I can go after the ones in caves too. I only collect when fishing, so I'll have to pick up a stick at the river for the poking purpose.
Just because they collect one type of fish w/ nets, doesn't mean that there isn't rampant use on other harder to collect species. ALL the cyanide exports carry @ at least one net caught item. Fire fish and Mandarin Gobys are carried by all exporters (in the PI) no matter if they are a "clean" outfit. Both are solely collected with nets (or needle). Blast a fire fish with drugs, and you've got a dead fish (worthless in a respects, except to scavengers and bacteria). Jawfish in Florida are caught with out drugs, how bout Rock Beauties? Or Queens? Ever wonderred why rock beauties generally suck? All slimy and whitish? It's either the juice (quin), or the poor handling.
spc wrote:
So I ask again, if we can't even stop this method in Fla, then why would anyone think there is a hope to stop it in a far away land?
Why should they stop an acceptable practice? If they have a permit, some one said it's "ok". Right now, it's a choice. Take away the choice, they'll have to use nets(to stay legal). The Coral Reef Task Force is looking at this very issue, along with many others.
Minh Nguyen wrote:
This is really interesting. I will try to see if I can see these marks on the Mandarins in the fish store. It is really too bad that most of the mandarin sold here in the US will not live too long. We even know what they need but aquarists often do not have a system set-up correctly for this beautiful fish. Most of them just starved.
My pair has being with me for 3 years. They spawn regularly
Minh Nguyen, you most likely won't see it @ the retail level. I've worked @ several different wholesalers, they seem to heal either there or at the exporters facility. It can be as long as 3 to 4 weeks from ship to tank (if the exporter is holding more than they can sell). Starving @ that point, usually beyond eating again, even if aquarist provides correct habitat (food). I think we'd see greater success with A LOT of fish, if they were handled properly in the start (collection,holding,shipping & acclimating(light & water)) Simple things like adding sand to wrasses' bags can make a poor shipper into a good one with low mortality. As for spawning, mine do the same. It's cool to watch, but has no outcome (eggs/fry).
SPC wrote:
It seems like you are saying here Steve, that more fish can be caught by using drugs as opposed to nets, was that your intention?
SPC, I didn't get that impression with his last post. After that sentance,
Cortez Marine wrote:
Whatever you train with first is what becomes 'natural' to you and way too many gfuys in Florida got started with dope.
He saying, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, basicly. They learned with dope, it woks for them, so why change (in there eyes). If I was taught to read right to left, I'd think that was how every one reads. They learned with dope, they teach with dope, it's like eating to them, in comes naturally.
Quin doesn't kill, it's the delivery agent. Since Quinaldyne doesn't kill, it's believed to be ok. The gun didn't kill, it was the bullet (the thing is still dead, no matter what killed it). Opposite for Quin, it doesn't kill(presumably) it's the delivery agent.
-Haven't heard that one. I heard that its a simple matter of placing the net over their tunnel entrance and then running a rod down into the sand beside the entrance, this forces them up into the net. Makes sense to me, I have caught crawdads this way before.
SPC, I've heard that method too. They collect garden eels in the same manner. Crawdads, excellent idea, I usually collect the ones I can see, now I can go after the ones in caves too. I only collect when fishing, so I'll have to pick up a stick at the river for the poking purpose.
Just because they collect one type of fish w/ nets, doesn't mean that there isn't rampant use on other harder to collect species. ALL the cyanide exports carry @ at least one net caught item. Fire fish and Mandarin Gobys are carried by all exporters (in the PI) no matter if they are a "clean" outfit. Both are solely collected with nets (or needle). Blast a fire fish with drugs, and you've got a dead fish (worthless in a respects, except to scavengers and bacteria). Jawfish in Florida are caught with out drugs, how bout Rock Beauties? Or Queens? Ever wonderred why rock beauties generally suck? All slimy and whitish? It's either the juice (quin), or the poor handling.
spc wrote:
So I ask again, if we can't even stop this method in Fla, then why would anyone think there is a hope to stop it in a far away land?
Why should they stop an acceptable practice? If they have a permit, some one said it's "ok". Right now, it's a choice. Take away the choice, they'll have to use nets(to stay legal). The Coral Reef Task Force is looking at this very issue, along with many others.
Minh Nguyen wrote:
This is really interesting. I will try to see if I can see these marks on the Mandarins in the fish store. It is really too bad that most of the mandarin sold here in the US will not live too long. We even know what they need but aquarists often do not have a system set-up correctly for this beautiful fish. Most of them just starved.
My pair has being with me for 3 years. They spawn regularly
Minh Nguyen, you most likely won't see it @ the retail level. I've worked @ several different wholesalers, they seem to heal either there or at the exporters facility. It can be as long as 3 to 4 weeks from ship to tank (if the exporter is holding more than they can sell). Starving @ that point, usually beyond eating again, even if aquarist provides correct habitat (food). I think we'd see greater success with A LOT of fish, if they were handled properly in the start (collection,holding,shipping & acclimating(light & water)) Simple things like adding sand to wrasses' bags can make a poor shipper into a good one with low mortality. As for spawning, mine do the same. It's cool to watch, but has no outcome (eggs/fry).
SPC wrote:
It seems like you are saying here Steve, that more fish can be caught by using drugs as opposed to nets, was that your intention?
SPC, I didn't get that impression with his last post. After that sentance,
Cortez Marine wrote:
Whatever you train with first is what becomes 'natural' to you and way too many gfuys in Florida got started with dope.
He saying, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, basicly. They learned with dope, it woks for them, so why change (in there eyes). If I was taught to read right to left, I'd think that was how every one reads. They learned with dope, they teach with dope, it's like eating to them, in comes naturally.
Quin doesn't kill, it's the delivery agent. Since Quinaldyne doesn't kill, it's believed to be ok. The gun didn't kill, it was the bullet (the thing is still dead, no matter what killed it). Opposite for Quin, it doesn't kill(presumably) it's the delivery agent.
Yet again I encounter some hobbyists that do not see the importance of captive raised. I realize the majority of fish will never be captive raised and of course there will always be a job for the collectors( I just hope the good ones stay in the buisness). Captive bred and raised would not be necessary if this was a perfect world. And I do believe in culling to obtain the highest quality or rearing in small batches to obtain the best larvae. Its the sustainability of the reefs that are the problem. If you loose a reef due to coral bleaching, cyanide, blasting, you also loose the fish. If a fish pop. is decimated by poor collecting practice or overharvesting one gets the same result. Lets say that there is a specific fish in a very small niche/locale that is on the brink of extinction and any thing can push it over the edge. Would nt it be nice to be able to keep the collecting pressure off the fish for it to recover? I have to say that all my future fish will be wild caught for I plan to study those that have not been bred in captivity. -------- Hey Steve I was just in Los Cabos for vacation. I had made a detour from Cancun to there due to the Hurricaine LiLi. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to research Cabo yet I wish I had gone to La Paz instead. I had talked to my wife and we agree that we will visit there in the near future. I hope to see your operation.
Louis Z wrote:
i disagree-remember-there was a time when most freshwater fish were not captive bred, either-their spawning habits, water parameters, etc. were unknowns.today, better than 90% of all species of freshwater fish are farm raised/hobbyist raised.
learning curves are usually exponential.there have also been some advances in science recently that will help the issue of raising food for marine larvae immensely, and should be impacting the fish industry within the next couple of years.the list of fish that are presently being captive bred is not huge, but growing steadily-flame angels are already being produced regularly by some folks who have figgered out a way to raise food cultures more efficiently with new computer software-(i posted a thread on this awhile back, w/pics from tech tv).
my money is on us knowing all of the basic requirements for captive spawning/rearing of 90% or better of all captively kept marine ornamentals within the next 10-15 yrs.the only question is whether a way will be found to make it economically feasible :wink:
i disagree-remember-there was a time when most freshwater fish were not captive bred, either-their spawning habits, water parameters, etc. were unknowns.today, better than 90% of all species of freshwater fish are farm raised/hobbyist raised.
learning curves are usually exponential.there have also been some advances in science recently that will help the issue of raising food for marine larvae immensely, and should be impacting the fish industry within the next couple of years.the list of fish that are presently being captive bred is not huge, but growing steadily-flame angels are already being produced regularly by some folks who have figgered out a way to raise food cultures more efficiently with new computer software-(i posted a thread on this awhile back, w/pics from tech tv).
my money is on us knowing all of the basic requirements for captive spawning/rearing of 90% or better of all captively kept marine ornamentals within the next 10-15 yrs.the only question is whether a way will be found to make it economically feasible :wink:
Vitz, I really hope that the %can be achieved in SW. I am trying my darnedest to learn the basics of live food culturing. It requires patience, dedication, space and money plus a lot of trial and error. If I cant locate your earlier thread on software I ll contact you.
from my understanding-it provides a truly accurate representation of everything present in a culture-by species, and by relative amount present,and sizes of the organism's- thus enabling the culturer to adjust the population accordingly, and truly accurately.people do this now-but this program makes it far more precise, and accurate.
not sure what you're refering to,re: 'the animal on the screen'.
all i can add is-if anyone can develop something that enables high rate of success with raising batches of flames in captivity, as they claim, and seem to have shown, as well-then i, at least, believe that this may hold great promise, indeed, for furthering the ease to which captive propagation of captively spawned marine larvae becomes.size and amount of the appropiate food organisms is presently one of the major 'stumbling blocks'.
not sure what you're refering to,re: 'the animal on the screen'.
all i can add is-if anyone can develop something that enables high rate of success with raising batches of flames in captivity, as they claim, and seem to have shown, as well-then i, at least, believe that this may hold great promise, indeed, for furthering the ease to which captive propagation of captively spawned marine larvae becomes.size and amount of the appropiate food organisms is presently one of the major 'stumbling blocks'.
here's some more on these guy's work:
A consortium of research organizations has been working on stock enhancement for severely depleted red snapper populations along the Gulf Coast since 1996. Funded through the National Marine Fisheries Service, the group includes the Oceanic Institute, the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) and Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida. The focus of the project is to develop technology and tactics for using hatchery-raised fish to restore depleted marine fish populations.
Culture research efforts are being headed by OI's Finfish Program under the direction of Dr. Anthony Ostrowski in a project led by Dr. David Ziemann. Dr. Charles Laidley and Dr. Robin Shields lead broodstock and larval rearing efforts, respectively. The goal is to develop intensive propagation capabilities for stock enhancement and then to transfer that technology to the GCRL.
Spawning of captive red snapper was first achieved in 1978 by Arnold, et al. They were able to accomplish a series of small spawns of 2,000-3,000 eggs, but were unable to keep broodstock populations alive.
About a year ago, OI brought in Charles Laidley, a reproductive physiologist and Robin Shields, a larval physiologist to head two teams in OI's effort. Laidley's team's goal was to spawn the red snapper, while Shields' team tackled rearing the larvae. Not only did they get the fish to spawn, but they also got them to spawn outside of their natural reproductive season. However, Laidley says, "We have made some significant advances, but are really still in the early stages of development. This species is particularly difficult to work with due to the development of intense aggression in correlation with sexual maturity."
The consortium's primary objective is enhancement of the natural stocks. OI's first obstacle was to establish quarantine protocols for working with a non-indigenous species and then to overcome the difficulties related to the constraints of working with transported animals over extended distances. In early 2000, research on transport methods led to greater survival rates for both larvae and broodstock. Although the initial focus of the research was to develop transport protocol for successful transfer of larvae, the natural spawning achieved has, according to Ostrowski, "given us great confidence that we will be able to produce eggs and larvae that will more rapidly advance research and the objectives of the consortium."
Thus having successfully created a more effective transporting system, the OI team focused on developing a technology with which they would have more control of the larval rearing process. This would allow them to provide larvae and fingerlings when they wanted it and as many as they needed.
The spawns produced eggs that were up to 78 percent fertile over a period of about one month. Many of the spawns produced over 150,000 fertile eggs each. Laidley anticipates that OI will be able to do even better in the future. The goal is to create technology to produce spawns of over a million eggs on demand.
When rearing larvae, most institutions are unable to get their fish to even reach mature stages. OI's team was able to rear the red snapper to maturity. This brought them to the same point the researchers had reached in the 1970s. However, through their research they discovered preliminary evidence that aggressive behavior emerges as the red snapper reaches adolescence. The animals become so aggressive that eventually they all kill each other. It was this behavior that halted the research in the 1970s, but not OI's. Through good husbandry protocols, water-quality and feeding practices, OI was able to overcome some of the problems encountered in the 1970s and 80s by other research teams.
Now the OI hatchery team is attacking the obstacles associated with the first-feeding stages of the larvae when in captivity. The larvae are so tiny (0.7 mm) that the artemia and rotifers usually fed to larvae are too big for them to eat. Initial studies by the GCRL show that the plankton-rich brown-water found in the Gulf of Mexico is optimal when filtered and condensed. However, because the natural environment is hardly reliable, OI is developing protocol for the culture of the plankton needed by the red snapper.OI's success also puts a bright spot in the future for farmers. Techniques to ensure year-round spawning and mass culture methods of the larvae (which are difficult to rear) to provide a reliable source of fingerlings are likely to be developed as an outcome of their breakthrough.
it is through the advances made by these folks that the captive propagation of marine ornamentals may well be a viable reality, in the not too distant future-imho
A consortium of research organizations has been working on stock enhancement for severely depleted red snapper populations along the Gulf Coast since 1996. Funded through the National Marine Fisheries Service, the group includes the Oceanic Institute, the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) and Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida. The focus of the project is to develop technology and tactics for using hatchery-raised fish to restore depleted marine fish populations.
Culture research efforts are being headed by OI's Finfish Program under the direction of Dr. Anthony Ostrowski in a project led by Dr. David Ziemann. Dr. Charles Laidley and Dr. Robin Shields lead broodstock and larval rearing efforts, respectively. The goal is to develop intensive propagation capabilities for stock enhancement and then to transfer that technology to the GCRL.
Spawning of captive red snapper was first achieved in 1978 by Arnold, et al. They were able to accomplish a series of small spawns of 2,000-3,000 eggs, but were unable to keep broodstock populations alive.
About a year ago, OI brought in Charles Laidley, a reproductive physiologist and Robin Shields, a larval physiologist to head two teams in OI's effort. Laidley's team's goal was to spawn the red snapper, while Shields' team tackled rearing the larvae. Not only did they get the fish to spawn, but they also got them to spawn outside of their natural reproductive season. However, Laidley says, "We have made some significant advances, but are really still in the early stages of development. This species is particularly difficult to work with due to the development of intense aggression in correlation with sexual maturity."
The consortium's primary objective is enhancement of the natural stocks. OI's first obstacle was to establish quarantine protocols for working with a non-indigenous species and then to overcome the difficulties related to the constraints of working with transported animals over extended distances. In early 2000, research on transport methods led to greater survival rates for both larvae and broodstock. Although the initial focus of the research was to develop transport protocol for successful transfer of larvae, the natural spawning achieved has, according to Ostrowski, "given us great confidence that we will be able to produce eggs and larvae that will more rapidly advance research and the objectives of the consortium."
Thus having successfully created a more effective transporting system, the OI team focused on developing a technology with which they would have more control of the larval rearing process. This would allow them to provide larvae and fingerlings when they wanted it and as many as they needed.
The spawns produced eggs that were up to 78 percent fertile over a period of about one month. Many of the spawns produced over 150,000 fertile eggs each. Laidley anticipates that OI will be able to do even better in the future. The goal is to create technology to produce spawns of over a million eggs on demand.
When rearing larvae, most institutions are unable to get their fish to even reach mature stages. OI's team was able to rear the red snapper to maturity. This brought them to the same point the researchers had reached in the 1970s. However, through their research they discovered preliminary evidence that aggressive behavior emerges as the red snapper reaches adolescence. The animals become so aggressive that eventually they all kill each other. It was this behavior that halted the research in the 1970s, but not OI's. Through good husbandry protocols, water-quality and feeding practices, OI was able to overcome some of the problems encountered in the 1970s and 80s by other research teams.
Now the OI hatchery team is attacking the obstacles associated with the first-feeding stages of the larvae when in captivity. The larvae are so tiny (0.7 mm) that the artemia and rotifers usually fed to larvae are too big for them to eat. Initial studies by the GCRL show that the plankton-rich brown-water found in the Gulf of Mexico is optimal when filtered and condensed. However, because the natural environment is hardly reliable, OI is developing protocol for the culture of the plankton needed by the red snapper.OI's success also puts a bright spot in the future for farmers. Techniques to ensure year-round spawning and mass culture methods of the larvae (which are difficult to rear) to provide a reliable source of fingerlings are likely to be developed as an outcome of their breakthrough.
it is through the advances made by these folks that the captive propagation of marine ornamentals may well be a viable reality, in the not too distant future-imho
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