RossAmy Wareing Viking Fish Farms Ltd Ardtoe Marine Laboratory

Introduction
Brief history of Viking Fish Farms Ltd

Oyster production at VFF

Research at VFF

Viking Fish Farms Ltd- Ardtoe Marine Laboratory

Viking Fish Farms Ltd- Ardtoe Marine Laboratory

Established in 1965 as a marine aquaculture research unit

by the UK Seafish Industry Authority and rapidly gained an international reputation in the development of culture technology for various temperate water marine species including turbot, Dover sole, halibut, cod, haddock, lobsters and scallops. In 2005 the unit was acquired by a UK registered company, Viking Fish Farms Ltd, which, after a management buy-out, is now owned by Drs Tim Atack and Jim Treasurer. The company has 9 full time members of staff (comprising of Research Scientists/Assistants/Technicians, a Site Electrician/Engineer and an Administrative Officer).

Production

Oyster Production
Began in 2008
Both production and research
3 million spat produced 2012. SARF project 063-01 (Jan 2010- Dec 2012)

Overcoming bottlenecks in the intensive commercial production of native oyster spat.

Feeding Settlement Upweller vs. downwellers Intensive indoor vs. extensive outdoor culture

Genomia project- SAMS

Microalgae Production
Intermediate cultures (1-10)

Master cultures (100-250ml)

7-14 days

7-14 days

Bag cultures (100)

Broodstock holding and conditioning tanks:

Available:
10 x 150 troughs with main ambient water supply, UV

filtered and filtered to 25m. Flows at 25ml/min/adult. Aquarium heaters in conditioning tanks. Oysters held on black trays. Currently for O. edulis:
4 tanks- 2 holding, 1 just spawned and 1 still spawning!

Other tanks contain Crassostrea gigas and Pecten

maximus.

150 troughs for broodstock

Oysters in holding tank (ambient)

Oysters in conditioning tank

Larval tanks:
Larval tanks available: 3 x 450 square-conical tanks. 2 x 350 square-conical tanks. 90 Paxtons. Static system with water supplied from 1,500 heated

reservoir. Aeration:
via 5 air lines (1 central, 1 in each corner) = Big tanks via 1 central aerator = Paxtons

450 square-conical larval tanks

Spat tanks:
Settlement/spat tanks available: 90 paxtons (containing mesh baskets) Static water, exchanged via 1,500 reservoir. Alternation between 100% water exchange one day and 50% water exchange the next. Upwelling via air lifts to circulate water. Micronursery with built in heater and light can support up to 10 upwelling tubes. Spat also held at 22C.
Continuous light.

Mesh basket containing spat

Spat tank (mesh basket with air lift)

Micronursery (from above)

Micronursery (from side, showing control panel)

Conditioning:
Water temperature increased by 1-2C per day from

ambient up to 22-23C. Water flow set at 25ml/min/adult Feed supplied in the form of live algae: Chaetoceros muelleri Tetraselmis suecica Isochrysis galbana Dunaliella tertiolecta Phaeodactylum tricornatum

Conditioning continued:
Our Normal food ration (expressed in grams dry weight

(DW) of algae) is 6% of the DW of oyster flesh. Up to two months before larval release. We attempted the 2-stage conditioning process: Moderate temperature (15C) and 6% feed ration for 4 to 6 weeks followed by full conditioning temperature (22-23C) with ration reduced to 3%. Under this process, our oysters failed to spawn successfully. All broodstock held 15:9 light:dark

Broodstock Feed Sheet:

1. Input wet weight oysters

2. Input ration required

3. Input optical density from spectrophotometer

4. Input proportions of algae/ paste required

5. Quantities of algae/paste calculated automatically

Cells/ml of algae are calculated using the optical densities (ODs) and an

equation derived from pre-determined concentrations and their ODs.

Spawning:
45m mesh under outflow to collect larvae.
Any further larvae collected via draining the broodstock

tank. Larvae counted and stocked at 5-10 per ml in larval tanks. Water changed every 48 hours from 1,500 heated (2223C) reservoir. Residual algal quantities checked to avoid overfeeding.

Larvae swimming in tank after release.

45 m mesh basket under outflow

~3 million larvae in mesh basket

Larvae collected in mesh basket

Larval feeding:
Calculator is based on the number of Iso cells ingested

by larvae per day according to the FAO Manual. Our calculator uses these numbers to calculate not only Iso but other algal species cell numbers, taking into account the cell size differences. Generally, we feed Iso/Tetra until after settlement. Residuals are checked daily and feed amended accordingly.

Larval feeding continued :

1. Input number of larvae per tank

2. Input average larval size in microns

3. Number of cells Iso equivalent/day calculated

5. Input proportions of algae required.

6. Quantities of algae calculated automatically

4. Input optical density from spectrophotometer

Swimming larvae (Veliger)

Eyed larvae (Veliger)

Larvae settled on cultch (Spat)

Larvae with foot, searching for suitable substrate to settle (Pediveliger)

Settlement:
Cultch used Size of particles 250-500m.

Ground, aged oyster shell that has been cleaned. Calcium carbonate particles from Italian marble factory.

Cultch added when >50% of eyed larvae show signs of

substrate searching with their foot out. Cultch placed in a very thin layer on 125m or 250m mesh basket. Air lift to circulate water. Up to 400,000 larvae per mesh basket in 90 paxton containing 70 water. All larvae settle between 4 and 7 days.

Settlement continued:
Ground oyster shell vs calcium carbonate Results showed that the oysters prefer to settle on ground oyster shell if both are provided. If only marble calcium carbonate is provided, they will settle. Survival during settlement has been between 40 and

98%. Disadvantage of marble calcium carbonate

If left too long it tends to clump together/harbour more algal

growth and makes it difficult to grade oysters off cultch.

Advantage of marble calcium carbonate Oysters may settle quicker than on ground shell?

Grading:
After 4 weeks, the newly settled spat are graded off the

microcultch. Subsequently, every fortnight, the spat are graded over a series of sieves and sample weights are taken to determine numbers. Ideally, spat would be sold when they attain 10-15mm (shell length), but with algal limitations at VFF and new developments in nursery rearing, customers are willing to take 2mm (sieve size) oysters.

Ideal size to sell (10-15mm)

Grading process

Spat Feeding:

Summarised print out

Same input method as broodstock feed sheet (based on weight) but with

additional ability to set an overall reduction of feed when algae is limited (as highlighted).

Research

Pond water trial:

Large 10m diameter pond tank (160m3) filled with

overflow from main header tank and inoculated with microalgae from bag culture. Agricultural fertiliser added and tank bloomed. Algae air lifted indoors to a reservoir tank. After salinity was adjusted, it was fed to two trial paxtons. Two paxtons being fed bag cultured algae provided a control. Over two weeks, the pond water fed oysters lost weight. Algae analysed and thought to be a Nanno/Chlorella type algae which was deemed too small/ nutritionally poor to sustain the spat.

Research:
SARF project 063-01 (Jan 2010- Dec 2012) Overcoming bottlenecks in the intensive commercial production of native oyster spat.

Feeding Settlement Upweller vs. downwellers Intensive indoor vs. extensive outdoor culture

Genomia project with SAMS Macroalgal SCD Studies into the growth of spat fed monospecific microalgae Iso/Tetra/Chaeto/Duna/Phaeo/Nanno

Further research:
Growth at varying temperatures.
Alternative artificial diets instead of live algae. Retrying restocking outdoor pond tank. Other designs of upwelling systems. Determination of optimum density of larvae to be held in

mesh baskets. Determination of optimum density of spat to be held in mesh baskets. Further studies on the different cultch.

Questions?