Luciopercimprove

  
Improving pikeperch larval quality and production by broodstock management and nutrition, husbandry and sex control
 

Acronym

LUCIOPERCIMPROVE

Start & end date

Nov 2005 until Nov 2007

Funding & funded by

EU Craft Project

Objectives

The general objective of this two-year proposal is to improve and control egg and larval supply and quality of pikeperch by improving broodstock management and nutrition. This comprises several specific objectives:

  1. The set up of broodstock management programme, including the comparison of broodstock rearing conditions as well as the development of all-season spawning technology and reliable artificial propagation methods.
  2. The comparison of pikeperch eggs and larvae from broodstock held in ponds (extensive culture), cages (semi-intensive culture) and tanks in recirculating systems (intensive culture).
  3. The improvement of broodstock feeding and nutrition, aiming to produce, from captive broodstock, eggs and larvae of comparable quality than those from wild broodstock.
  4. The production of all-female population, divided into two phases: production of sex-reversed males and production of all-female juveniles from the breeding of normal females and neo-males.

Summary

 Diversification has been suggested as a potential tool to spurt out the freshwater aquaculture production in Europe. Recent research has demonstrated the feasibility of cultivating intensively pikeperch Stizostedion lucioperca, a valuable fish under increasing demand for both the consumption (large size fish, 2-4 kg each) and the restocking (0+ and 1-year old fish) markets in Europe. However, the supply of eggs and larvae is still largely dependent on the spawning of wild breeders or captive fish held in ponds during the maturation process. Production of pikeperch eggs and larvae is thus seasonally restricted and extremely variable in quality and quantity. In order to support the development and sustainability of pikeperch farms recently established in several European countries, the project will develop reliable methods securing the supply of high quality eggs and larvae of pikeperch. To reach that goal, the following specific activities will be conducted:
  1. Set up of technologies securing the continuous supply of eggs and larvae by inducing out-season spawnings through temperature and photoperiod control of broodstock maturation.
  2. Investigations on the effects of different husbandry and dietary variables on reproductive physiology and nutritional status of breeders and related effects on gamete and larval quality.
  3. Comparison of the egg and larval quality from breeders stocked in various environments (tanks vs cages vs ponds).
  4. Set up of efficient procedure for broodstock and larval rearing in order to produce pikeperch sex-reversed males and, in a second step, all-female populations of juveniles.

To compare efficiently the effects of the different variables on gamete and larval quality, standardized larval rearing conditions will be precisely defined at the onset of the project and applied to all experiments.

Staff involved

Ir. Henrice Janssen

Position

Participant

Cooperation Partners
  • Excellence Fish (The Netherlands)
  • Viskweekcentrum Valkenswaard (The Netherlands)
  • Piscival lès Sources (France)
  • Fish Farm Paseek (Poland)
  • Nutreco Nederland (The Netherlands)
  • EARL Esox (France)
  • CEFRA (University of Liège, Belgium)
  • FUNDP (University of Namur, Belgium), coordinator
  • IMARES (University of Wageningen, The Netherlands)
  • AFI (University of Wageningen, The Netherlands)
  • University of Warmia & Mazury (Poland)
  • LSA-UHP (University of Nancy, France)
Project website www.luciopercimprove.be
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