(MWN / 02-11-09)  The grouper is the latest addition to a catalogue that has already reached heights of scientific milestone with octopus and hake, and that attempts to include tuna and shellfish.

Oceanographic Institute of Vigo in Spain has a catalogue of nearly a dozen species that try to live an artificial environment that is tried to be as similar as possible to natural environment. The latest addition has been the grouper, whose wild capture is scarce, so it is intended to be recovered for the commercial market after being depleted by overfishing in the oceans of the world.

In the IEO in Vigo there are twelve gropers trying to adapt themselves since two months ago, and researchers are studying their parameters and behaviours to initiate, if possible, their domestication.

They have also been IEO Vigo researchers who have been able to get, for the first time and stably, the pioneer generation of captive-bred hakes, an experience carried out by Rosa Cal, José Iglesias, Francisco Javier Sánchez and Juan Otero.

This case of spontaneous reproduction of European hake (the most biologically complex and capricious within the species) has occurred in a pool of about 20 square meters, with 10,000 litters of salt water inside.

SCIENTIFIC FEAT OF SPANISH AQUACULTURE

This lay of fertilized egg comes from the stock of breeding established after the catches during the oceanographic campaigns in 2007 and 2008 in the Vigo estuary. Therefore, it is a scientific feat that makes possible the development of aquaculture of an important fish species in Spain.

Hakes, once they have been caught with special fishing gear and transported under very strict conditions, were fed first with live fish, and later on with fresh fish and frozen fish, until they finally eaten feed made on IEO facilities.

This first step allowed to establish a stock of breeding acclimated to the pool. The methodology used to achieve this is described in a scientific article that will be published in the journal Aquaculture Research.

In this first lay, the number of fertilized eggs, always according to the IEO, has been small, “but enough” to monitor embryonic development and early stages of larval development of this species. With the possible future lays they want to complete the study of the phase of larval and pre-fattening culture to evaluate the viability of intensive culture of European hake.

These two remarkable scientific achievements of the IEO in the field of aquaculture were preceded by another worldwide success, achieved in 2001 and published in the journal Aquaculture in 2004: the end of reproductive cycle of octopus in laboratory at the Oceanographic Center of Vigo. Now, they are stuck in the evolution of fattening larvae since two months on, because although it is achieved, mortality is very high.