Oreochromis mossambicus

There is a large number of new species being farmed, but only relatively few have

been successful over a long period of time. The criteria for succeeding are complex

and usually a combination of biological and economical factors. Aquaculture is a

relatively new industry in Europe; commercial cage culture only started in the second

half of the 20th century with the salmon and trout industry. Hatching of juveniles,

however, has a longer tradition as it has been used for restocking of rivers and lakes

for recreational fishing. Capturing of mature fish before spawning has been practiced

with species like salmon, cod and white fish to obtain artificially produced larvae. Using

more extensive rearing methods like lagoons and ponds allowed larval production

under conditions closely resembling the natural habitats, including algal blooms and

production of natural zooplankton. Larvae or juveniles were released in the sea,

lakes or rivers in an attempt to augment the natural populations. For commercial

production it was necessary to intensify operations feeding of juveniles was started

using live plankton of rotifers and artemia in intensive cultures. Production technology

has moved indoors to be able to maintain full control of the production cycle.