A review of feeding practices and nutritional requirements of postlarval groupers

Groupers (Family: Serranidae) are a very diverse family of predatory fish that are widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical seas of the world and notably those of the Indo-Pacific region. Species from this family are probably the most sought-after fish in the live reef fish trade and command high prices. Increased fishery effort has led to a significant decline in the wild catch of groupers and consequently, a heightened need for aquaculture product to supply the market. Improved hatchery technology and a more reliable supply of hatchery-produced fry in the past decade have resulted in a rapid increase in grouper aquaculture production world-wide but especially in the Asia–Pacific region. This expansion has seen an increasing need for more sustainable and environmentally responsible culture practices and especially for the development of manufactured feeds that better meet the nutritional requirements of the fish. This review provides an account of feeding practices used to rear juvenile groupers and advances that have taken place in the development of nutritionally adequate manufactured feeds for post-larval grouper.