Cod larval production in New Hampshire

摘要

Historically, Atlantic cod has been the most impor tant fish species landed in the Northwest Atlantic from Newfoundland to Cape Cod. With the appeal of a worldwide market, a catastrophic decline in landings, and the interest in diversifying the multi-billion dollar salmon industry, it is easy to see why cod has suddenly taken a foothold in fish farming communities surrounding the North Atlantic. While we can hear the prominent "cod boom" echoing throughout Norway, Scotland, Iceland, and Denmark, activity in the Western Atlantic is also starting to heat up. The recent demonstration of large-scale intensive production of juvenile cod by hatcheries in New Hampshire, Maine, and Newfoundland could lead to a "cod rush" in the Northeast U.S. and EasternCanada. Hatchery rearing protocols for cod have been in development at GreatBay Aquaculture (GBA) for four years. During this time the company has seen larval survival increase from 0.5 percent to over 30 percent at 100 days post hatch. Already this year, more than 200,000 five-gram juveniles were sold from one production cycle and the second cycle is well underway.