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This paper was submitted by the faculty of FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.

Notice: ©2004 World Society. This published manuscript is available at www.was.org and may be cited as: Tucker, J. W., Jr. (2004). Sheepshead, a potential American sea bream for farming. World Aquaculture Magazine, 35(3), 48-49, 68.

Sheepshead, a potential American sea bream for farming

JOHN w. TUCKER,J R. 1

Sheepshead (Archosargus probato­ sible if demand and prices rise. cephalus, family Sparidae, Figure I) is Like other sparids, sheeps­ an excellent food ranging from Nova head are easy to spawn and Scotia to Brazil in mainland coastal wa­ raise. A short section in Brice ters, rivers, and freshwater springs. (1897) reported that 3-day-old Maximum size is more than 14 kg and larvae from strip-spawning of 80 em. In the it is not a running-ripe wild sheep shead targeted species and has limited commer­ were released in stocking efforts cial availability, but sometimes sheeps­ during the late 19th century. head is substituted for red snapper and Wild sheepshead mature by an other more expensive fish in restaurants. age of two years and weight of Sheepshead are primarily caught by part­ 350-400 g. Along the southeast­ ern United States coast, they time fishermen and sold in small num­ Fig. 1. Adult sheepshead grown out in freshwater. In bers. During 2000-2002, average the first complete rearing study, 6,000 juveniles were spawn from February to June. monthly wholesale prices for whole raised from one spawn, with survival of40 percent We have induced ovulation with sheepshead at the Fulton , from fertilization to adult. (by Tom Smoyer, HBDI) human chorionic gonadotropin , New York USA were in the (HCG) followed by strip range USSI.I0-2.75/kg. During 200-2003, spawning or voluntary fertilization whole sheepshead (1-2.5 kg), mostly in the broodfish tank (Tucker and caught by castnet or gig, were seIling for Barbera 1987). US$2.75/kg wholesale in east central At 23-26°C, females with ini­ Rorida. A tial oocypte diameters of 400llill Several other sparids that are well es­ that were given one or two intra­ tablished in aquaculture include red sea muscular injections of 1000 IU/kg bream in the Far East and gilthead sea HCG ovulated 75-77 hours after bream in the Mediterranean (Girin 1983, the first injection. Considering Foscarini 1988, BarnabE 1990, Pillay their adaptability and the ease of 1990). Annual world production was inducing spawning, sheepshead 72,910 tons of red sea bream (as silver probably will spawn voluntarily, as seabream), 81,965 tons of gilthead sea do many other sparids. Strip B bream and 5,624 tons of miscellaneous spawning of a running-ripe male species that included at least seven spe­ (367 g) and female (398 g) caught Q.5mm cies during 2001, with a total value of during April 1984 produced more USS843,745 (FAO 2003). Many other than 15,000 eggs. Larger females sparids have potential, including the sheep­ can release at least 100,000 eggs shead. To reach 450 g, red sea bream need at a time. about 16 months and gilthead sea bream Sheepshead spawn at about about 14months, but sheepshead need only 23°C, and the optimal temperature 9-11 months. Spawning is relatively easy ranze for larvae and juveniles is b • and all stages are hardy. With a little more about 23-28°C. Larvae can survIve research and an increase in value, the I aSmm I in the range of22-33°C and juve­ sheepshead could become a very good niles in the range 10-35°C or Rg. 2. Development ofsheepshead from egg to aquaculture candidate. The main impedi­ pre-juvenile (from Tucker andAlshuth, 1997, with higher. When larvae are rwo to ment is its present low value, but sheeps­ permission from the Bulletin ofMarine Science). three weeks old, they can tolerate head farming would be economically fea- transfer to fresh water. Juveniles

48 SEPTEVlBER 2004 Fig. 4. Sheepshead larva 14 dah, 6.0 mm TL. (By with permission from John Tucker; from Tucker, 1998, Kluwer Academic PUblishers)

mm TL. (By John Fig. 3. Sheepsheadhatchling 1.6 permission from Tucker; from Tucker, 1998, with KluwerAcademic Publisners.)

can survive in salinities of 0-44 ppt or more. We have grown themout in fresh and saltwater ponds. urn (Figure 2). At Diameter ofsheepshead eggs is about 820 about23°C, they hatch in about 28 hours at 1.6 mm total length,exhaust first feed three to three and a half days after hatching, their yoolk and oil four days after hatching, and transform into hatching (at 14 mm, Figures 2-7). They juveniles 39 days after Fig. 5. Sheepshead larva 21 dah, 7.0 mm TL. (By can reach a mean weight of at least 500 g in a year and 1.5-2 kg John Tucker) in two years. sheepshead were In the first complete rearing study (1984), raised in lOOO-L and 3500-L tanks on a diverse diet (rotifers, meals and crab larva, in Artemia, copepods, scallop and shrimp starter beginning at day green water), with commercial salmon during 48-70 dah 27 and live foods tapering off to small rations 70-cmjuveniles were (Tucker 1987). Six thousand IOO-day-old, tank density of 1.5 produced from one spawn, with a hatchery to seven dab survival was 62 fishIL at 67 dah. From fertilization seven to 100 dab it was 64 percent (40 percent percent, and from TL. (By Tom tank-reared fish for more Sheepshead larva 28 dah, 11mm overall), with no further mortality of Fig. 6. HBDI) than three years. Smoyer, initially weighing 220 g In a preliminary trial, sheepshead on salmon feed than on had better growth rates and conversion 1987). Because those trout or catfish feed or fresh food (Tucker ponds to 2.4 m diameter fish had been transferred from O.014ha increased crowd­ tanks, aggressive encounters from the sudden leading to inflated ing caused feed wastage and elevated activity, Like many other feed conversion ratios for all the foods. are certain to grow faster warrnwater marine fish, sheepshead for them. and more efficiently on diets formulated are omnivorous, com­ Because juvenile and adult sheepshead economical and easy pound feeds for them would be relatively developed juveniles had to formulate. By 50 dab (50 rnm), fully the crushing dentition typical of adults and readily ate raw and frozen spinach, fresh Cooked chicken liver and beef heart, feeds (Tucker 1987). From seaweeds, and several commercial that time on, they kept macro algae growing on the tank walls standard length (SL - late juve­ well cropped. At about 180 mm Fig. 7. Sheepsheadjuvenile 70 dah, 50 mm TL. (By Tom ate bivalves, amphipods, with permission from Kluwer niles to early adults), wild sheepshead Smoyer, HBGI; from Tucker, 1998, bryozoans, barnacles, tuni- snails, crabs, sponges, polychaetes, Academic Publishers) (Continued on page 68)

WORLD AQUACULWRE 49 relined and made more efficient. As with some other territorial omnivorous fish. ag­ , John Tucker is Head of the Fish Biology gre~si(ln among juveniles is a potential Department, Division of Marine Science. problem that can be controlled by proper (Cllnlillllt'dIrom f'II,t.:1' ./1) Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. management. Sheepshead arc robust fish 5600 North U.S. One, Fort Pierce, Florida cares. algae. anll sl'agr;l'"e, (Cutwa and that arc cheap 10 feed and can be grown 34946 USA. Turiugan 2(00). The Ilavor of wild sheep­ out in ponds. cages, tanks, or raceways in For a more in-depth review, see John Tucker'> vhc:u] varies with their habitat and did and saltwater or hard freshwater. If raised in chapter on sheepshead culture in A. \1. can probably be controlled. cages theywill cal fouling organisms and Kelly and 1. Silverstein. editors. "\Ianual Sheep-head arc easy 10 'pawn and help keep the cages clean. In that capac­ (If Fish Culture:' Volume III. raise, hUI demand and price" would have ity, they could be polyculturcd with car­ 10 incrcave for sheep,head f'lrllling 10 he nivorous fish as cage cleaners. tcaxiblc. Techniques would have III he Barnabc, G., editor. 1990. Aquaculture. Volumes I and 2. Ellis Horwood. 1'\e\\ York. New York. USA. Brice. 1.1 .•Commissioner. 1897. A Manual of Fish-Culture. Pages 1-34ll In U.S. Fish Commission Report for 1897. U.S. Fish (Cllnlinlll'dIrom f'tlgl' (5) 'Right IlIlW, thiv problem seCI11\ til have been and Commission. Wa..hington, cics il i" ncccs-ary 10 have a dynamic 1.'11­ Sillvcd with the creation of the term District of Columbia USA. virunmcnt, why arc uquaculturist.. in Aquaculture Engineering like did Cutwa, l\l.M. and R.G. Turingan. 2000. charge of dcxtrnying nature? Such que~· with the term Fishing Engineering. lntrnlocality variation in feeding "Group Ill' many scientific and technological lion.. arc vital at this lime bt',IUN: if we biomechanics and prey use in ArchmaTgul disciplines that are part of the activity. do nOI start worrying about ethics in probatoccphalus (Tcleostei. Sparidae\ with 'A\illh'gy: critical study of valuable concepts, aquaculture. Ihi, activity could soon he implications for the ecornorphology 11f especially moral concepts. condcmucd by society, Something that . Environmental Biology of Fi-hes 'Elhi",;;sludy Ill'the apprcciationjudgcmcnts 59: 191-195. prove.. Ihb reality comes from the cnvi­ related til the human conduct, to determine FAa (Food and Agriculture Organization! ruruucmali-t movements. whose partido what is wrong and what i.. right (the good 20ll3. Statistics: Aquaculture p.mls 11:1\(' succeeded in turning society from the evil). production 200 I. Food and Agriculture :lg;\ln'l aquaculture. "Elite species arc those that have a higher Organization of the United Nations, Rome. market price and acccs.. to them is limited ltalv, Fisheries Series Number 64. Epistemological definition Il) the most privileged parts ofthe society. Fosca;ini, R. 1988. A review: Intensive "Thi.. concept i..only an approximation from Based on the l'pistel11ological ingrcdi­ farming procedure for red sea bream an epistemological perspective. This docs tPagrus major) in Japan, Aquaculture cnts mentionedabove. we could conclude not discard existing concepts or those that 12:191-246. that the present essay with a "re-dcfini­ can he created. Girin. M. 1983. The Sparidae: A warmwaer lion" of aquaculture!": finfish family with vvorld-wide maricullUl'e A'IIWCII/lllrt' iJ the production References potential. Pages 3-141n R.R.Stickney and Ut'I7IW/ l'lIrl'0St')ofaqnati« 00'a1l· Bunge. M. 1980. Tecnologia e Filosofia, Pages S.P. Mevers, editors. Proceedings of the isms imatrriul purpose) witl: I'CO' IS5-21O In Epistemologia: Curso de Warm\;ater Fish Culture Workshop. "omi,' l'lI!II,'/ontolocica! t'!!'T/!t'TIIi, atuJlila.·\..o. S..O Paulo: EDt'SP. Brazil. Louisiana State University. Baton Rouge. tt» ;llO"l'iIJ,' the!;'"d security ofthr C\I\1AD (Cornis..o Mundial de Meio Louisiana. USA. planrt ! 'I (;"/,,ginll rlcmcnt J. Ambienre e Desenvolvimeruo). 1991. Pillay. T.Y.R. 1990. Aquaculture Principles :mJ tlmw..:h thl' drmocrutic distribu­ :\11"0 Futuro Cornum. Rio de Janeiro: Practices. Fishing News Books. Oxford. /1'011"0;','.1 f'rpdl/!'!'d;1I till soviet­ Funda:\..o Gctulio Varg;l.s. Brazil. United Kingdom. in "{Ihl' world (1'lh;(II! ./"1I1:,[a· FAD (h1tld and :\~riculture Organization). Tucker.Lw.. 1; 1987. Sheepshead culture and tll>III. ~O(lO. Th,' S(;lte of Wllr1d fisheries and preliminary evaluation for farming Th<: aqu.lculture in 1999. Rome. Italy. Prol!rcssive Fish·Cullurist49:22~-:!:!g· Tlld:er~ Notes Currie. D, 1994. Suq;lin.lble aquaculture in J.W.• Jr. 1998. Marine Fish Culture. dc\ch1pillt: clluntrics. World Aqual:Ulture Klllwcr Academic Publi'hers. Bostoll. 'lkp,lflmenl ,'f\quaclllllHc. Centro de 2514\: 20-~5. Massachusetts. USA. eICnO.IS ,\t,"T;m,ls. t'mn:r>id,l'!c h:Jcral de Llnlksman. L. 19<:14. :"egatiw impaCls of Tucker. 1.W.. lr. and S.R. Alshuth. 1997. S,ml.l Cllanna, Fh'r!,mllpt'li,. SC. Hr;li'il. cO;lsla! aqu,lculture development. \Vord Dcvelopment of laboratory-rean:J E·m;lIl: I in,l!C;lloOml"t,\ luf.... h Aquaculture ~5(2):1~-17. sheepshead, .4.rchosargus probatocel'iWl~ ?\\11ich rrnducls Ilouid 11c Jccc,sit>lc only tt) :"c\\'. \1. 1996. Sustainable global aqual"Ulture. (Pisces: Sparidae). Fishery Bullel Hl the hifh income sfx:icty or high.-elass. World Aquaculture ~7C.!): 4-6. 95:39+401. :; Gnnsiology: Know It:dgc theory. Thcory: Primavera, H. 1998.The suslainability of Tucker. J.W.. Jr. and P.A. Barbera. 1987. group of fundamcntal principles of an art shrimp culture in tropical regions. Pages Laboratory spawning of sheepshead. or s"iencc. 2..')7·289 In S. S. Dc Silva. editor. Tropical Archosarglls probarocephallls. The ~Ontolo:;y: philosophy subjecllhatstudies the maricu1ture. Academic Press. London, Progressive Fish-Culturist49:219-:!30. nature of a l1cing. England.