| Summary: | Rock Lobsters are a prime candidate for aquaculture due to their high value and international demand but culturing lobsters through the many and long larval (phyllosoma) stages has proved to be very difficult. Development of a rock lobster aquaculture industry in Australia is dependent on being able to reliably and cost-effectively produce seed stock. Despite recent research successes with a range of species worldwide further improvements to larval survival and economic efficiencies are required before large-scale lobster propagation becomes a reality. Better survival has recently been achieved through microbial disease control and management of key bottlenecks. This presentation overviews latest developments in temperate Eastern rock lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi , propagation at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania (IMAS). Improved methods for bacterial disease control through ozonation and sea water treatment, prophylactic use of chemical disinfectants and probiotics are now available. Evidence that larval culture can be influenced by exogenous cues has important implications for commercialisation as it may reduce the resource intensive phyllosoma rearing phase. Continual improvements in the larval culture of temperate lobsters have been made and relatively large numbers of juveniles can now be reliably produced. The consistent success achieved at IMAS demonstrates proof of concept that S. verreauxi can be intensively cultured or produced for stock enhancement, presenting an exciting new option for aquaculture in temperate Australia. Further research is aimed at improving genetic stocks, economic efficiencies in the hatchery and evaluating juvenile grow-out.
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