Closed-cycle hatchery production of tuna

Partridge, Australian Centre for Applied Aquaculture Research, Australia 

Key words tuna, broodstock, larvae, Thunnini, nutrition, disease, maturation, hormone induction, spawning, nursery production, hatchery environment. 

There are 17 tuna species within the Thunnini tribe, seven of which form the basis of the world s most valuable fishery totalling approximately 6-9 million tonnes worth approximately US 6 billion (Mylonas et al, 2007). The contribution of the various species within this total catch varies greatly 

Species Common name Maximum size (kg) Size at maturity (kg) Age at maturity (years) References 

The incentives for closed-cycle hatchery production of tuna are many, yet the features that make tuna so unique also give rise to the many challenges associated with their culture. Despite many significant achievements over some 40 years of effort, commercial-scale hatchery production has yet to be fully realised. This chapter summarises these achievements and the challenges that still remain to achieve this goal. 

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Closed-cycle hatchery production of tuna 471 15.2.4 Maturation and hormone induction... 

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