392
(Syukur and Mahrus 2016). Today, mariculture produces 35%, of the whole fish
production in the world, with pisciculture producing 23% of it (FAO 2016).
Brazil is considered a future marine fish aquaculture world power due to its long
coast line, the favorable weather, high biodiversity, and self-sufficient in grain production (Sanches et al. 2013; Bueno et al. 2015; FAO 2016), but is still placed in the
14th position of world fish producers, with 562 thousand tons produced in 2014
(FAO 2016). Continental fish farming has increasing significantly, but the marine
fish aquaculture has not progressed commercially. The difficulty of acquiring fingerlings, and the slow process of licensing seawater use areas has hampered the
activity, despite these facts, important basic steps have occurred in the past years.
Some of the characteristics of the Brazilian coast, as quantity of estuaries and
bays, together with the lack of expertise in handling offshore environment indicate
that the real marine fish aquaculture development in Brazil should start in estuary
and salty waters at or near the coast. Therefore euryhaline species or ones with high
tolerance to variation of salinity would be ideal for culture. Besides this requirement, adding growth rate, rusticity, quality of the meat, and market price, an ideal
target species would be the Atlantic Goliath Grouper Epinephelus itajara.
Besides issues related to commercial aquaculture, the development of seawater
fish farming of endangered species can contribute as an strategic tool for conservation, helping to reduce captures in nature (providing aquacultured fish), generating
agribusiness opportunities, assisting production expansion, creating jobs and
income for coastal communities (Sanches 2007), besides enabling the possibility of
re-population, and the implementation of semen banks contributing to maintain the
genetic diversity of populations (Cloud et al. 1990; Goswami et al. 2016).
Goliath Grouper aquaculture research in Brazil started in 2012, by the Instituto
de Pesca de São Paulo, in partnership with the Projeto Meros do Brasil, chaired by
Eduardo Gomes Sanches (PhD), in Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Due to the lack of
information regarding the biology of the species in captivity, the knowledge of
another Epinephelidae, the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe 1834)
was used as the start point, once it had already been well studied by Dr. Sanches.
The initial target of the researches was the reproduction of the Goliath Grouper, and
setup protocols to maintain the species (nutrition, density, environmental enrichment) in captivity. The focus was set in the sexual inversion and maturation of
small-size males (<50 cm), cryopreservation of semen, maturation of small- and
medium-size females, hatchery, and nursing.
The Goliath Grouper are protogynous hermaphrodites, presenting a late sexual
maturation, with 6–8 years old, more than 110 cm long (Bullock et al. 1992; Sadovy
and Eklund 1999), and breed in reproductive aggregations. The use of large breeders is a challenge for the management of the species in captivity, due to the difficulties in: acquiring, capturing, and transporting the individuals, besides the complexity
of proceedings and risks to the operators. Due to these factors, the study was concentrated in acquiring sexually viable males. In order to proceed, young individuals
(from 30 to 50 cm long) captured by artisanal fishermen in the Vaza-barris estuary,
in the Brazilian state of Sergipe, were used.
M. Hostim-Silva et al.
(Syukur and Mahrus 2016). Today, mariculture produces 35%, of the whole fish
production in the world, with pisciculture producing 23% of it (FAO 2016).
Brazil is considered a future marine fish aquaculture world power due to its long
coast line, the favorable weather, high biodiversity, and self-sufficient in grain production (Sanches et al. 2013; Bueno et al. 2015; FAO 2016), but is still placed in the
14th position of world fish producers, with 562 thousand tons produced in 2014
(FAO 2016). Continental fish farming has increasing significantly, but the marine
fish aquaculture has not progressed commercially. The difficulty of acquiring fingerlings, and the slow process of licensing seawater use areas has hampered the
activity, despite these facts, important basic steps have occurred in the past years.
Some of the characteristics of the Brazilian coast, as quantity of estuaries and
bays, together with the lack of expertise in handling offshore environment indicate
that the real marine fish aquaculture development in Brazil should start in estuary
and salty waters at or near the coast. Therefore euryhaline species or ones with high
tolerance to variation of salinity would be ideal for culture. Besides this requirement, adding growth rate, rusticity, quality of the meat, and market price, an ideal
target species would be the Atlantic Goliath Grouper Epinephelus itajara.
Besides issues related to commercial aquaculture, the development of seawater
fish farming of endangered species can contribute as an strategic tool for conservation, helping to reduce captures in nature (providing aquacultured fish), generating
agribusiness opportunities, assisting production expansion, creating jobs and
income for coastal communities (Sanches 2007), besides enabling the possibility of
re-population, and the implementation of semen banks contributing to maintain the
genetic diversity of populations (Cloud et al. 1990; Goswami et al. 2016).
Goliath Grouper aquaculture research in Brazil started in 2012, by the Instituto
de Pesca de São Paulo, in partnership with the Projeto Meros do Brasil, chaired by
Eduardo Gomes Sanches (PhD), in Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Due to the lack of
information regarding the biology of the species in captivity, the knowledge of
another Epinephelidae, the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe 1834)
was used as the start point, once it had already been well studied by Dr. Sanches.
The initial target of the researches was the reproduction of the Goliath Grouper, and
setup protocols to maintain the species (nutrition, density, environmental enrichment) in captivity. The focus was set in the sexual inversion and maturation of
small-size males (<50 cm), cryopreservation of semen, maturation of small- and
medium-size females, hatchery, and nursing.
The Goliath Grouper are protogynous hermaphrodites, presenting a late sexual
maturation, with 6–8 years old, more than 110 cm long (Bullock et al. 1992; Sadovy
and Eklund 1999), and breed in reproductive aggregations. The use of large breeders is a challenge for the management of the species in captivity, due to the difficulties in: acquiring, capturing, and transporting the individuals, besides the complexity
of proceedings and risks to the operators. Due to these factors, the study was concentrated in acquiring sexually viable males. In order to proceed, young individuals
(from 30 to 50 cm long) captured by artisanal fishermen in the Vaza-barris estuary,
in the Brazilian state of Sergipe, were used.
M. Hostim-Silva et al.