Sea Bass / Sea Bream Fish Farm Tour

The production of massive quantities of phytoplankton is the first prerequisite for success in the hatchery. Vast quantities of these single cell plant organisms are produced making use of photosynthesis with the addition of the main life elements N, O, H and C, just as in nature.

Phytoplankton is required to feed the zooplankton and then the zooplankton is used to feed the larvae of the sea bass and sea bream. Rotifers have proved to be an ideal food for these larvae as they are nutritious and seem to be tasty, and their swimming activity readily attracts larvae, while their size makes them an ideal prey.

As the larvae grow they require larger feed animals, and the copepod Artemia salina replaces the rotifers in the diet. Young cysts (eggs) of the Artemia salina are captured in hypersaline lakes around the world, canned and brought into the hatcheries. The cysts are placed in marine water of appropriate temperature to induce hatching. They are then fed to the larvae, which are growing toward the fry stage.

Fry are gradually offered artificial food of increasing size as they grow. This food, initially given in the form of flakes, is very high in energy and high quality lipids. The food components are high quality fishmeal and fish oils. The fry diet is very high in protein content compared to adult fish diets.