Overview of mariculture techniques In: Winter School on Vistas in Marine Biotechnology 5th to 26th October 2010

• Main Author: Gopakumar, G
• Format: Course Material
• Language: English
• Published: ICAR- Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute 2010
• Subjects: Mariculture; Pacific; Red drum
• Online Access: http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/16688/; http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/16686/; http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/16688/1/Vistas%20in%20Marine%20Biotechnology_2010_Chp%202.pdf

It is widely accepted that the catch and catch rates of many marine fishery resources are declining mainly due to overcapitalization and overexploitation. In this context, it is very much relevant to resort to resource augmentation methods through mariculture and allied techniques to enhance the seafood production. Mariculture is the farming and husbandry of marine plants and animals in marine environments. On a global basis, aquaculture is the fastest growing animal food production sector with per capita supply increasing from 0.7 kg in 1970 to 7.8 kg in 2006 with an average annual growth rate of 6.9%. Most of the global aquaculture production of fish, crustaceans and molluscs continues to come from inland waters (61% by quantity and 53% by value). Mariculture contributes 34% of the total aquaculture production and 36% of the value. While much of the marine production is contributed by high value finfish, relatively low priced mussels and oysters are also widely farmed. While the overall share of farmed fish in marine finfish production has stayed much low, for the species that are farmed, cultured fish dominates the market. This is the case of Asian seabass, gilthead sea bream, red drum, bastard halibut and cobia. It is also a fact that for such species, the quantities now produced by aquaculture are often substantially higher than the past highest catch recorded by capture fisheries. In the last decade, salmonids have overtaken shrimp as the top aquaculture group in Latin America and the Caribbean as a result of outbreaks of disease in the major shrimp producing areas (FAO,2009). Aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region has been growing steadily over the last few decades and to satisfy the demand of the local and export markets, many countries are expanding their aquaculture activities in the sea, including offshore areas where competition is less. Mariculture in this region is exceptionally biodiverse and relies on many species and hence the nature of mariculture is rapidly changing in this area (Rimmer, ...