Marine Finfi sh Aquaculture Network

Grouper culture in Brazil

Sanches, E.G. and Von Seckendorff, R.W., email [email protected]

In Brazil, mariculture is a well developed Many species are considered of these endangered species may activity, with farming focused largely to have a high potential for farming represent a strategic implement for on shrimp, clams, oysters and mussel and are threatened in the wild due to conservation, reducing wild capture culture. Brazilian shrimp culture is overfi shing and destruction of coastal as cultivated fi sh is offered, making represented by Penaeus vannamei environments. The most commonly restocking possible. One measure farming in more than 16,000 hectares encountered species that occur in that may contribute to this is the and malacoculture by Perna perna, Brazil3 are: marginatus implementation of a semen bank for Crassostrea gigas, Crassostrea (Lowe, 1834), Epinephelus morio such species. rizophorae and Nodipecten nodosus (Valencciennes, 1828), Ephinephelus farming. niveatus (Valenciennes, 1828), Considering the occurrence of many Epinephelus fl avolimbatus (Poey, 1865), species of serranids in Brazil and the Ephinephelus itajara (Lichtenstein, situation of their stocks, their economic 1822), Epinephelus adscensionis importance and the possibility of (Osbeck, 1765), Epinephelus striatus generating rearing technology for these (Bloch, 1792), Epinephelus nigritus species, the Instituto de Pesca has (Holbrook, 1855), Epinephelus conducted studies upon the culture of mystacinus (Poey, 1852), Epinephelus these fi shes since 2005. This work, guttatus (Linnaeus, 1758), Epinephelus known as Project, is drummondhayi (Goode & Bean, conducted in Ubatuba, Brazil, and has 1879), acutirostris brought important advances in serranid (Valenciennes, 1828), Mycteroperca culture. The employed system is “near microlepis (Goode & Bean, 1880), shore” in 8 m³ net cages and fi shes are Mycteroperca interstitialis (Poey, 1860), fed with trash fi sh. After twelve months Mycteroperca tigris (Valenciennes, rearing dusky grouper present a mean 1833), Mycteroperca bonaci (Poey, weight of 1.0 to 1.2 kg and giant grouper 1860) and Mycteroperca venenosa after only ninety days presented a mean Dusky grouper (Epinephelus (Linnaeus, 1758). weight of 1.3 kg. marginatus). The project has demonstrated that The fi rst investigations on marine grouper farming in net cages has an fi shes in Brazil were conducted in the internal rate of return of 15.05% to middle 1970s by researchers from 36.74% for two selling prices (US$ 7 Universidade Federal de Pernambuco and US$ 9), is economically feasible studying mullets (Mugil liza)1. and possible to be conducted by Investigations on the dusky grouper small scale undertakings and artisanal (Epinephelus marginatus) began in fi shermen. 1980, by Eduardo Fagundes Netto and Daniel Benetti, researchers from the Instituto de Pesquisas da Marinha, in Giant grouper (Epinephelus itajara). Arraial do Cabo2. Nowadays, many institutions maintain research groups Among these, outstanding species studying marine fi sh species suitable include the dusky grouper (Epinephelus for farming, including the Instituto de marginatus), printed on the Brazilian Pesca, Universidade Federal de Santa one hundred reais bill, black grouper Catarina, Fundação Universidade (Mycteroperca bonaci), gag grouper do Rio Grande and the Universidade (Mycteroperca microlepis) and the Federal do Ceará. giant grouper (Epinephelus itajara), the largest species in the , reaching Reproduction of dusky grouper. The most studied species in Brazil are more than three hundred kilograms. the snook (Centropomus parallelus Although showing aptitude for farming, and C. undecimalis), the fl ounder the reproduction of serranids has a (Pa