Abstract
The early larval stages fish and crustaceans farming requires feeding with live prey, and
among these prey we find Artemia (cysts or nauplii) as the most widely used feed in the world.
This study was carried out to investigate the Artemia population of Elbahira Lake (Salah bey,
Sétif province), to assess these resources and their use possibility in aquaculture farming. The
study primarily involved cysts measurements, hatching characteristics, nauplii measurements,
and the biochemical composition evaluation of cysts regarding proteins, fat, and
carbohydrates.
The results of cyst diameter showed that Artemia population of EL Bahira Lake is
characterized by a large diameter production (8.94 ± 259.17 µm) and chorion thickness of
15.84 µm.
An improvement in hatching quality was observed, with the highest hatching rate recorded
after cyst decapsulation at 86.91%.
The results of the biochemical analysis of Artemia cysts in this study showed that they contain
approximately 14.98% for protein, 13.80% for fat, and 32.20% for carbohydrates.
Based on this study, The Artemia population of Elbahira Lake has important characteristics
for aquaculture use and provides added value to the national economy.
Keywords: Artemia, cysts, hatching, El Bahira Lake.