177
11 Sepia officinalis
since then. Consequently, not only technology has evolved but also cephalopods
have been included in the EU animal welfare legislation. Thus, the advances in
S� officinalis culture technology will be revised also considering a good welfare
practice.
11.3 Broodstock Rearing Conditions and Acclimatization
to Captivity
Considering that reproduction in captivity is one of the bottlenecks in cuttlefish
culture (Sykes et al. 2006b), broodstock maintenance knowledge and conditions
have been updated.
11.3.1 Seawater Systems and Conditions
Depending on the location of the husbandry, the three types of seawater systems
(open, semi-open or closed) may be applied. Commonly, cuttlefish breeder stocks
are obtained from captive cultured populations or through wild captures as described
by Sykes et al. (2009). After being checked for illness and skin damage, cuttlefish
are conditioned in open seawater systems because of logistics, welfare and economical aspects. Nonetheless, as the technology used in closed and semi-closed systems
is becoming cheaper and aquaculture environmental concerns are scaling up, the
use of closed seawater systems (RAS), similar to those reported by Hanlon (1990)
for cephalopods and recently by Martins et al. (2010) for fish, is expected in the near
future. The technology has progressed since 2000, from using 250 L tanks (Correia
et al. 2005; Sykes et al. 2006a) to increasing sizes, such as 9,000 L, currently being
used after the results of Sykes et al. (2013b, Fig. 11.1).
A typical tank setup may be built indoors or outdoors of the husbandry facilities but it must be located in a low disturbance area (Sykes et al. 2006b). Each tank
should have a setup consisting of round-shaped fibreglass tanks comprising enough
airlifts, fixed on the tank walls, and air stones in the middle of the tank. These
conditions will make water move slowly but like a drain to the outlet pipe, which
is located at the centre of the tank. Since cuttlefish is a benthic species (Boletzky
1983), the tank should have large bottom areas (Domingues and Marquez 2010;
Sykes et al. 2013b).
If toxic materials (e.g. PVC glue, silicone for marine environments) are used
while assembling the tank setup, it should be first filled with tap water for 24 h, followed by a 24 h seawater filling and running, before the animals are placed in the
tank. While designing, building and operating this setup, the use of metallic parts,
especially copper, should be avoided and kept away from all seawater systems, as
it can be toxic in the first stages of development of the cuttlefish (Establier and
Pascual 1983) and even in the remaining life stages (Hanlon and Forsythe 1985;
11 Sepia officinalis
since then. Consequently, not only technology has evolved but also cephalopods
have been included in the EU animal welfare legislation. Thus, the advances in
S� officinalis culture technology will be revised also considering a good welfare
practice.
11.3 Broodstock Rearing Conditions and Acclimatization
to Captivity
Considering that reproduction in captivity is one of the bottlenecks in cuttlefish
culture (Sykes et al. 2006b), broodstock maintenance knowledge and conditions
have been updated.
11.3.1 Seawater Systems and Conditions
Depending on the location of the husbandry, the three types of seawater systems
(open, semi-open or closed) may be applied. Commonly, cuttlefish breeder stocks
are obtained from captive cultured populations or through wild captures as described
by Sykes et al. (2009). After being checked for illness and skin damage, cuttlefish
are conditioned in open seawater systems because of logistics, welfare and economical aspects. Nonetheless, as the technology used in closed and semi-closed systems
is becoming cheaper and aquaculture environmental concerns are scaling up, the
use of closed seawater systems (RAS), similar to those reported by Hanlon (1990)
for cephalopods and recently by Martins et al. (2010) for fish, is expected in the near
future. The technology has progressed since 2000, from using 250 L tanks (Correia
et al. 2005; Sykes et al. 2006a) to increasing sizes, such as 9,000 L, currently being
used after the results of Sykes et al. (2013b, Fig. 11.1).
A typical tank setup may be built indoors or outdoors of the husbandry facilities but it must be located in a low disturbance area (Sykes et al. 2006b). Each tank
should have a setup consisting of round-shaped fibreglass tanks comprising enough
airlifts, fixed on the tank walls, and air stones in the middle of the tank. These
conditions will make water move slowly but like a drain to the outlet pipe, which
is located at the centre of the tank. Since cuttlefish is a benthic species (Boletzky
1983), the tank should have large bottom areas (Domingues and Marquez 2010;
Sykes et al. 2013b).
If toxic materials (e.g. PVC glue, silicone for marine environments) are used
while assembling the tank setup, it should be first filled with tap water for 24 h, followed by a 24 h seawater filling and running, before the animals are placed in the
tank. While designing, building and operating this setup, the use of metallic parts,
especially copper, should be avoided and kept away from all seawater systems, as
it can be toxic in the first stages of development of the cuttlefish (Establier and
Pascual 1983) and even in the remaining life stages (Hanlon and Forsythe 1985;