Successful use of cryopreserved oyster trocophores as a live first feed larval marine fish and invertebrates

Abstract

Trochophore-stage larvae of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas were cryopreserved in bulk and stored in liquid nitrogen for periods up to two years before thawing and feeding to a variety of warmwater and coldwater larval marine fish, as well as to marine shrimps and other invertebrates. The commercial product ("TrochoFeed"), marketed in both pre-thawed and cryopreserved versions, has been used successfully in the early rearing of cultured species including red drum, snook, grouper, and black cod, as well as for numerous warmwater and coldwater aquarium display fish.

This paper describes the nutritional profile of the cryopreserved trochopores and presents a summary of the available growth and mortality data.