Breeding and Larval Rearing Techniques for Aquatic Species

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Dr James Kar-Hei Fang

Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong

Dr Fang is an Assistant Professor in the Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and a Principal Investigator in the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong. He received a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science at The University of Plymouth, UK, an MPhil in Marine Toxicology at City University of Hong Kong, and a PhD in Coral Reef Ecophysiology at The University of Queensland, Australia. Dr Fang is currently working on artificial breeding and aquaculture of marine invertebrates for seafood provision and ecological restoration purposes. Examples of target species include the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata, the staghorn coral Acropora pruinosa and the tri-spine horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus. His other research areas cover the marine ecological impacts and seafood sustainability under human-induced stress such as microplastics, climate change and ocean acidification, and the use of 3D printing technology in making artificial reefs and in other ecological context.

Dr. Elizaldy Maboloc

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology

Dr Maboloc is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Marine Ecology and Aquaculture Laboratory at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research interests include larval biology and the ecophysiology of marine invertebrates. Currently, he is studying the culture and breeding of aquaculture species and their physiological responses to climate and anthropogenic changes, and the potential impacts on future aquaculture consumption. Dr Maboloc received his BSc in Biology from the Visayas State University and an MSc in Marine Science from the University of the Philippines. For his master’s research, he studied the culture and physiology of giant clams. He obtained his PhD from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology where he studied the larval biology and physiological responses of the slipper limpets to future climate conditions. His research experiences also include the study of coral reproduction and culture for restoration efforts and larval biology of echinoderms.

Collection Overview

Many aquatic species play important roles in the ecosystem functions, provision of food and socioeconomic development of human societies. However, some of these species are facing extinction risks due to climate change, pollution, and habitat loss, as well as extensive harvesting under the increasing demand for food. In this connection, artificial breeding and aquaculture provide a good strategy to mitigate the extinction risks of these species and to enhance food sustainability. Development of the breeding and larval rearing techniques can also open up opportunities for research into the early life history of aquatic species and allow us to formulate better management for improving the survival and resilience of these species. Although breeding and rearing protocols have been documented for some species, it could be challenging for readers to follow these protocols through plain text descriptions with limited photographs, especially in different laboratory and aquarium settings. There are also gaps in the literature when it comes to non-model organisms and non-charismatic organisms. To address these concerns, this collection aims to bring together different breeding and rearing approaches for marine and freshwater species and visualize them in videos for easier replication for teaching, research, aquaculture, and ecological restoration purposes. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, induced spawning, gamete handling, dietary maintenance of larvae and juveniles, feed formulation, water and light quality requirements, and husbandry system design.