The Fish Larva: a Transitional Life Form, the Foundation for Aquaculture and Fisheries
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The fish larva: a transitional life form, the foundation for aquaculture and fisheries Report from a working group on research on early life stages of fish Large-scale Programmes Aquaculture – An Industry in Growth The fish larva: a transitional life form, the foundation for aquaculture and fisheries Report on research on early life stages of fish © The Research Council of Norway 2009 The Research Council of Norway P.O.Box 2700 St. Hanshaugen N–0131 OSLO Telephone: +47 22 03 70 00 Telefax: +47 22 03 70 01 [email protected] www.forskningsradet.no/english The report can be ordered at: www.forskningsradet.no/publikasjoner or green number telefax: +47 800 83 001 English translation: Darren McKellep Design cover: Design et cetera Photo cover: per Eide, Samfoto, Terje van der Meeren (Start-fed cod larva) Printing: Allkkopi Number of copies: 300 Oslo, June 2009 ISBN 978-82-12-02681-0 (printed version) ISBN 978-82-12-02682-7 (pdf) 2 Preface Knowledge about early life stages in fish – eggs, larvae, fry and smolts – is critical for a number of high-priority areas in aquaculture research, both in Norway and abroad. Experience has shown that major bottlenecks occur in the early life stages, slowing efforts to commercialise new production species. As a rule, stringent requirements in terms of nutrition and physical/chemical/microbial environment must be met to ensure proper development and high survival rates during the early life stages. The causes of permanent malformations often arise in the early stages of development, to the detriment of fish welfare and performance in production. Regarding wild stocks, basic knowledge about early life stages may provide insight into how the fish adapt to their environment and survive under various conditions. Several programmes at the Research Council are involved in research on the early life stages in fish, and knowledge in this area may benefit trade and industry as well as the government administration. The challenge to Norwegian researchers is to conduct research of high international calibre and to be considered attractive partners for collaboration in international research groups. Against this background, the Aquaculture programme – in cooperation with the Oceans and Coastal Areas (HAVKYST) programme, the FUGE programme (Functional Genomics in Norway), and Independent Basic Research Projects (researcher initiated) in Biology and Biomedicine (FRIBIO) – appointed a working group to give an account of the state-of-the-art of research on the early life stages in fish. The working group is comprised of the following members: Jon Vidar Helvik, University of Bergen (Professor; Committee Chair) Kristin Hamre, National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) (Senior Scientist) Ivar Hordvik, University of Bergen (Professor) Terje van der Meeren, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen (Senior Scientist) Helge Ressem, Norwegian Seafood Federation / Profunda AS (Manager) Manfred Schartl, University of Würzburg (Professor) Helge Tveiten, Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima), Tromsø (Senior Scientist) Gunvor Øie, SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture, Trondheim (Senior Scientist) Harald Sveier, Research Council of Norway (Committee Secretary) The working group commenced its work in May 2008 and submitted its report in April 2009. The working group’s efforts are much appreciated. Oslo, June 2009 3 Content The fish larva: a transitional life form, the foundation for aquaculture and fisheries ..................... 1 Report on research on early life stages of fish ......................................................................... 1 Preface.............................................................................................................................................. 3 Content............................................................................................................................................ 4 1 Mandate......................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Mandate.................................................................................................................................. 5 1.2 The working group ................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 External contributors .............................................................................................................. 6 2 Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 7 3 Sammendrag.................................................................................................................................. 9 4 Vision .......................................................................................................................................... 11 5 Background ................................................................................................................................. 12 6 Status and challenges................................................................................................................... 14 6.1 Juvenile production in aquaculture....................................................................................... 14 6.2 The natural ecosystem.......................................................................................................... 16 6.3 Biological processes............................................................................................................. 17 6.3.1 Early development, maternal effects and endocrinology .............................................. 18 6.3.2 Development and function of fish sensory system........................................................ 19 6.3.3 Brain and neuroendocrine system ................................................................................. 19 6.3.4 Behaviour ...................................................................................................................... 20 6.3.5 Buoyancy and Osmoregulation ..................................................................................... 20 6.3.6 Respiration and excretion.............................................................................................. 21 6.3.7 Reproduction in fish: Focus on germ line and early gonadal development .................. 22 6.3.8 Development of the digestion system ........................................................................... 22 6.3.9 Muscle development...................................................................................................... 22 6.3.10 Skin and pigmentation................................................................................................. 23 6.3.11 Development of bone .................................................................................................. 23 6.3.12 Development of the immune system in fish................................................................ 24 6.4 Nutritional and environmental factors.................................................................................. 24 6.4.1 Nutrition ........................................................................................................................ 24 6.4.2 Microbiological factors ................................................................................................. 25 6.4.3 Physical factors.............................................................................................................. 26 6.4.4 Chemical factors............................................................................................................ 27 6.4.5 Antropogenic factors ..................................................................................................... 28 7 Research resources ...................................................................................................................... 29 7.1 Extensive/intensive systems.................................................................................................29 7.1.1 Production systems........................................................................................................29 7.1.2 Feed organisms.............................................................................................................. 30 7.2 Model species and marine fish development ....................................................................... 31 7.3 GenoFisk: Genomic platform for cod and salmon ............................................................... 32 8 Recommendations and strategies ................................................................................................34 8.1 Goal ...................................................................................................................................... 34 8.2 Strategy................................................................................................................................. 34 8.3 Organisation ......................................................................................................................... 34 8.3.1 First year........................................................................................................................ 36 8.3.2 Short-term (1-5 years) ................................................................................................... 36 8.3.3 Long-term (1-10 years) ................................................................................................