Broodstock management and seed production of the rabbitfish Siganus guttatus (Bloch) and the sea bass Lates calcarifer (Bloch)

Abstract

This paper reviews results of studies conducted on the rabbitfish, Siganus guttatus (Bloch) and the sea bass Lates calcarifer (Bloch) at the Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. Studies include broodstock development and management, induced breeding, effect of handling stress and diet on egg quality, early life history, food, feeding strategy, weaning to artificial diets, effect of stocking density and salinity on egg development, larval growth and survival, and advancement of metamorphosis in sea bass by using thyroxine.

A seed production technique had been developed for rabbitfish with survival rates ranging from 5-35% while the seed production technique for sea bass developed in Thailand had been modified to suit local conditions. Based on results from recent morphological and physiological studies, the stocking density, water management, and feeding scheme for the production of rabbitfish and sea bass fry had been modified to reduce cannibalism and improve survival.