Wild broodstock are still widely collected – both for aquaculture and for restocking purposes – but ensuring the health and welfare of these mature finfish requires careful capture and transport procedures.
Heterosis, the well-known concept of “hybrid vigour”, has been utilised to improve fitness-related traits – like growth, fecundity and disease resistance – in a number of cultured aquatic species over the years.
Lara Barazi has been CEO of Kefalonia for 22 years, in the process growing production volumes of certified organic seabass and sea bream from 300 to 5,000 tonnes a year.
A new book details how Turkey has become a global aquaculture leader, and is now the world’s ninth largest marine finfish farmer. Other countries, particularly in Europe, could learn much from its example.