Microalgal Culture and Maintenance in Marine Hatcheries

Joseph, Shoji and Ajith Kumar, P B (2015) Microalgal Culture and Maintenance in Marine Hatcheries. [Teaching Resource]

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Abstract

Marine algae are single-celled plants and like all plants, contain chlorophyll, which traps the energy from light and uses it to convert nutrients and carbon dioxide dissolved in the sea water into organic matter. Microalgae are the primary producers of the sea. Among microalgae, flagellate and diatom species, are primary producers at the base of the marine food chain. They are cultured in hatcheries in suitably treated seawater enriched with nutrients, which include nitrates, phosphates, essential trace elements, vitamins and carbon dioxide. Synthetic seawater may be used but it is expensive except for small laboratory scale cultures. The culture microalgae arise because the natural phytoplankton content of seawater is insufficient to support growth of high densities of larvae and juveniles reared. Particularly in the hatchery, the water treatments will remove almost all of the natural phytoplankton which then needs to be replaced from cultures of preferred, high food value species. In this context, few of the naturally occurring algae of good food value are amenable to artificial culture.

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