by Álvarez-Blázquez1, B., Rodríguez Villanueva2, J.L., Pérez
Rial1, E., Peleteiro1, J.B., Mylonas3, C.C., Papadaki3, M., Papadakis3 I.,
Fakriadis3, I., Robles4, R., Linares5, F.
Following the series of articles published on the fish species included in the EU-funded DIVERSIFY project (see April, May, June, July and October issues of International Aquafeed), which ran between 2013 and 2018, we present here the wreckfish (Polyprion americanus), which was the most challenging species in the project.
Following the series of articles published on the fish species included in the EU-funded DIVERSIFY project (see April, May, June, July and October issues of International Aquafeed), which ran between 2013 and 2018, we present here the wreckfish (Polyprion americanus), which was the most challenging species in the project.
The wreckfish is one of the largest Polyprionidae species, reaching a size of 100kg. It is a deep-water fish (100-to-1000m) found almost throughout the world and is characterised by an extended pelagic juvenile phase (Ball et al., 2000; Sedberry et al., 1999). It is one of the most interesting new species for aquaculture, due to its fast growth (Suquet & La Pomélie, 2002; Rodriguez-Villanueva et al., 2011), late reproductive maturation, high market price and limited fisheries landings (See Figure 1) and easy handling in captivity with no mortality recorded during the DIVERSIFY trials (Papandroulakis et al., 2008). Its large size makes it appropriate for processing and development of value-added products, which could be of interest for the EU market.
Wreckfish accepts inert food easily, being a very voracious carnivore. Wild-caught individuals kept in captivity grew from one-to-five kilogrammes in a period of 10 months (Rodriguez-Villanueva et al., 2011). The slow reproductive maturation of wreckfish, which occurs at an age of 5-10 years in captivity, may be a problem for broodstock development and management. On the other hand, its long juvenile stage is a great advantage from the aquaculture viewpoint, allowing for commercialisation before sexual maturity, and thus avoiding problems linked to maturation, such as reduction in growth. It has been demonstrated that growth is strongly influenced by sex and that female wreckfish are significantly heavier than males, as observed in many other marine fish species (Rodríguez, 2017).
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The Aquaculturists
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