'G reen Water' Microalgae - the Leading Sector in World Aquaculture A.

Neori 1,2 , 1Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research Ltd., National Center For Mariculture, Eilat, Israel 2 On sabbatical at: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, USA E-mail: aneori@gm ail.com At least 240 million MT y -1 live wt 'green water' microalgae were consumed by cultured fish in 2007, 3.6 times world aquaculture production of all fish, crustaceans, mollusks and seaweeds (FAO reports). This value is based on the production of the main filter feeder species (> 10 million M T y -1, mainly in Asia, Table 1) and their respective published food conversion ratios. Green water plankton - m icroalgae, bacteria, protozoa and zooplankton - is cultured plankton. It is grown in man-made water impoundments, which are fertilized b y manure and village waste. This plankton is consum ed, and at the same time managed, by fine-tuned polyculture com binations of ecologically different fish species. Well-tuned fish com binations at adequate densities optimize pond resource use Production Microalgae consumption and fish production. Species (2007) Phytoplanktivory Zooplanktivory Total Large-scale Silver carp 3.7 26 18 44 polyculture of low Gibelion catla 2.3 9 57 66 value filter feeder Bighead carp 2.2 8.6 54 62.5 fish is sustainable Nile tilapia 2.1 2.5 16 18.5 and profitable, since Crucian carp 1.9 14 10 24 growing the plankton Rohu carp 0.7 2.7 17.3 20 is rather cheap and Table 1: Production of th e top cultured fish (FAO data) and the 'green since biofiltration of water' microalgae that feed them (million MTfw y -1 ). waste by the plankton and the fish is valuable to the farm . A better understanding of green water plankton production and its interaction with growth of fish, crustaceans and mollusks is necessary. It will aid expansion in sustainable production of low cost seafood, which is an im portant source of protein in poor countries.