Artemia, the best feed for fish larvae

Pond fish farmers are taken through fish farming guide. The first 14 days of a fish's life determines one’s success in aquaculture, experts have noted, therefore the necessary feeding is required to ensure the fish larvae grow healthy progressively. PHOTO | ISAAC WALE | NATION MEDIA

What you need to know:

  • Fish larvae requires the feeds soon after hatching.
  • The larvae are delicate at this point and should be fed on artemia produced in aquaculture laboratory.
  • It was noted that Kenya and Africa as a whole do not have the skills to produce artemia.

The first 14 days of a fish life determines one’s success in aquaculture, experts have noted.

According to them, the larvae are delicate at this point and should be fed on artemia produced in aquaculture laboratory.

The larvae requires the feeds soon after hatching. However, the experts note that fish farmers and breeders in Kenya and Africa as a whole do not have the skills to produce artemia.

“Big farmers import the feeds from foreign countries, making the cost even higher,” said Mary Opiyo, a Senior Scientist at the Fisheries Department.

Prof Gilbert Van Stappen from the Laboratory and Aquaculture Artemia Reference centre at Belgium-based Ghent University said with improved research and training, farmers would be in a better position to produce the feed, raise larvae to fingerings and thrive in aquaculture.