First data on aquaculture of the narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) in ponds

Abstract

This study reports the successful aquaculture of narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson). Two successful artificial fertilization trials were conducted in April and May 2023 on board fishing vessels, achieving fertilization rates of 96.67 ± 1.92% and 91.11 ± 1.11%, respectively. Larviculture and juvenile grow-out were subsequently performed for each egg batch in ponds. Newly hatched larvae had an average total length (TL) of 2.28 ± 0.17 mm, exhibiting feeding behavior by 3 days post hatch (dph), with a mouth gape of 664.71 ± 16.33 µm. At 21 dph, juveniles reached an average TL of 33.87 ± 3.35 mm. The larvae were initially fed Eleutheronema tetradactylum larvae, transitioning to minced fish at 20 dph. TL growth from hatching to 37 dph was described using an exponential model (TL = 6.65e ^{0.07 dph}), which accounted for 95.30% of the variance in the dataset. At 150 dph, one individual (54.5 cm, 1.07 kg) developed testes, and at 350 dph, another individual (62.3 cm, 2.20 kg) displayed developed ovaries. The survival rates from hatching to juveniles were 0.17% (at 38 dph) for the first culture batch and 0.23% (at 48 dph) for the second batch. The results of this study contribute valuable foundational information for future developments of S. commerson aquaculture.