February 15-18, 2009 Washington State Convention Center Seattle ...

ADVANCES IN THE CULTURE OF THE LANE SNAPPER Lutjanus synagris
Carina Farías, Jesús Rosas, Aide Velasquez, Jesús León and Tomás Cabrera*
ECAM, Universidad de Oriente
Porlamar 788
Nueva Esparta, Venezuela.
tom3171@telcel.net.ve
Fish culture is an activity under continuous expansion and growth in the Caribbean and tropical areas of the Americas. The fish
family Lutjanidae (snappers) comprises several species that have considerable potential for commercial aquaculture. Among
these species, the lane snapper, (Lutjanus synagris) has shown much potential in preliminary trials. It has an attractive market
demand, and the its relatively small size at sexual maturity is easy to handle during broodstock management. Preliminary
spawning induction and larvae rearing trials were recently conducted for this species at the Institute for Scientific Research,
University of Oriente (IIC/UDO) in Venezuela.
In the spawning trials conducted, ten females with an average weight of 478 g and males with average weight of 518 g. were
used. Fish were maintained in 1 m 3 tanks at a ratio of 2:1 male:female. Water temperature was 58 – 29 o C and salinity was 37
ppt.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) by injection was used for induction, at 15 µg/kg of fish for females and 7.5 µg/kg of
fish for males. After hatching, the larvae were maintained in six tanks using the green-water technique (200,000 cells/ml) with
Isochrysis galbana, Chlorela sp. and Tetraselmis chuii each of them in two different tanks. Rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis)
and Artemia were used as live feeds.
Broodstock fish began spawning 9 hours 30 minutes after the HCG induction. Fertilization rate varied between 87 and 91%,
and the hatching rate 24 hours later was was 66%. Larvae were maintained at a density of 30 individuals/liter in six 400-l tanks,
with filtered seawater at 28 – 29 o C and 37 ppt. A mass mortality was observed after 96 hours in the larvae from the tanks with
T. chuii, and at 120 hours from the tanks with Chlorella sp. The survival rate of the larvae from the tanks maintained with I.
galbana was 1.2% after 15 days, reaching a size of 6.81 mm.
The main problem detected appeared to be related to nutrition and the use of T. chuii and Chlorella sp. in tank rearing water.
Similar problems have previously been detected in the rearing of this species using Chaetoceros ceratosporum at the IIC/UDO
in Venezuela. Further research needs as well as the prospects for development of commercial-scale snapper culture operations
in Venezuela, an area of high priority for the public and private sectors, are discussed.
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