Suitability of Monospecific and Mixed Microalgal Diets for Spat of the Silver‐Lip Pearl Oyster Pinctada maxima

ABSTRACT Expansion of pearl production using the silver‐lip pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima, depends on increasing the availability of high‐quality spat from hatcheries and optimization of existing hatchery protocols. Research to develop feeding regimes yielding higher quality spat is seen as a priori...

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Main Authors: Serena Sanders, Thane A. Militz, Paul C. Southgate
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-12-01
Series:Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/aff2.70010
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author Serena Sanders
Thane A. Militz
Paul C. Southgate
author_facet Serena Sanders
Thane A. Militz
Paul C. Southgate
author_sort Serena Sanders
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Expansion of pearl production using the silver‐lip pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima, depends on increasing the availability of high‐quality spat from hatcheries and optimization of existing hatchery protocols. Research to develop feeding regimes yielding higher quality spat is seen as a priority. This study evaluated the suitability of three microalgae (Rebecca salina, Chaetoceros simplex and Tisochrysis lutea), fed singly and in combination, for spat of P. maxima and assessed whether mixed diets yielded spat of higher quality. A model‐fitting approach examined the response of spat fed microalgal diets for 35 days. Organic content of spat, as an indicator of quality, as well as metrics relating to spat size and weight were considered. On the basis of organic content, all microalgal diets tested were found suitable and there was no evidence that the mixed diets yielded higher quality spat compared to monospecific diets. Further, any gains in spat size attributed to the mixed microalgal diets were comparatively modest. Contrary to long‐held assumptions, our results indicate that monospecific microalgal diets are not necessarily inferior to mixed microalgal diets for on‐growing spat of P. maxima. They indicate potential to develop simpler and cheaper protocols for culture of P. maxima spat in land‐based systems.
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spelling doaj-art-05c6db71141a45e7a3bb407daa8e5a212025-08-20T02:38:59ZengWileyAquaculture, Fish and Fisheries2693-88472024-12-0146n/an/a10.1002/aff2.70010Suitability of Monospecific and Mixed Microalgal Diets for Spat of the Silver‐Lip Pearl Oyster Pinctada maximaSerena Sanders0Thane A. Militz1Paul C. Southgate2Sirene Sea Pearls Dromana Victoria AustraliaSchool of Science, Technology & Engineering | Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research University of the Sunshine Coast Sippy Downs Queensland AustraliaSchool of Science, Technology & Engineering | Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research University of the Sunshine Coast Sippy Downs Queensland AustraliaABSTRACT Expansion of pearl production using the silver‐lip pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima, depends on increasing the availability of high‐quality spat from hatcheries and optimization of existing hatchery protocols. Research to develop feeding regimes yielding higher quality spat is seen as a priority. This study evaluated the suitability of three microalgae (Rebecca salina, Chaetoceros simplex and Tisochrysis lutea), fed singly and in combination, for spat of P. maxima and assessed whether mixed diets yielded spat of higher quality. A model‐fitting approach examined the response of spat fed microalgal diets for 35 days. Organic content of spat, as an indicator of quality, as well as metrics relating to spat size and weight were considered. On the basis of organic content, all microalgal diets tested were found suitable and there was no evidence that the mixed diets yielded higher quality spat compared to monospecific diets. Further, any gains in spat size attributed to the mixed microalgal diets were comparatively modest. Contrary to long‐held assumptions, our results indicate that monospecific microalgal diets are not necessarily inferior to mixed microalgal diets for on‐growing spat of P. maxima. They indicate potential to develop simpler and cheaper protocols for culture of P. maxima spat in land‐based systems.https://doi.org/10.1002/aff2.70010dietfeeding regimesmicroalgaepearl oysterPinctada maximaspat
spellingShingle Serena Sanders
Thane A. Militz
Paul C. Southgate
Suitability of Monospecific and Mixed Microalgal Diets for Spat of the Silver‐Lip Pearl Oyster Pinctada maxima
Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries
diet
feeding regimes
microalgae
pearl oyster
Pinctada maxima
spat
title Suitability of Monospecific and Mixed Microalgal Diets for Spat of the Silver‐Lip Pearl Oyster Pinctada maxima
title_full Suitability of Monospecific and Mixed Microalgal Diets for Spat of the Silver‐Lip Pearl Oyster Pinctada maxima
title_fullStr Suitability of Monospecific and Mixed Microalgal Diets for Spat of the Silver‐Lip Pearl Oyster Pinctada maxima
title_full_unstemmed Suitability of Monospecific and Mixed Microalgal Diets for Spat of the Silver‐Lip Pearl Oyster Pinctada maxima
title_short Suitability of Monospecific and Mixed Microalgal Diets for Spat of the Silver‐Lip Pearl Oyster Pinctada maxima
title_sort suitability of monospecific and mixed microalgal diets for spat of the silver lip pearl oyster pinctada maxima
topic diet
feeding regimes
microalgae
pearl oyster
Pinctada maxima
spat
url https://doi.org/10.1002/aff2.70010
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