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Abstract:
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Success achieved in seed production and culture of prawns induced
researchers to explore the feasibiltiy of culture of other important
crustaceans like lobsters and crabs. The CMFRI initiated a project to study
the prospects of spiny lobster’ culture and I was associated with this project
from the beginning. Compared to shrimp farming, culture of spiny lobsters
is an entirely different proposition due to inherent problems in producing
their seeds. The emphasis on .obster culture, therefore, shifted to rearing
of juvenile lobsters, which form a major portion in commercial lobster
landings in India. Commendable success was achieved in enhancing growth
rate of four important speices of spiny lobsters by bilateral eyestalk ablation.
But due to strong reservations expressed against the "blinding" of lobsters by
people from all walks of life, this technique could not be tested commercially
for its economic viability. As in prawns, energetics of reproduction and egg
development have not yet been documented in spiny lobsters and so these
aspects were included in this study. Though some limited informations on
food conversion efficiency are availble in spiny lobster, a detailed study on
the effect of size and sexual maturity on food conversion was wanting and
this also was included in this investigation. The most dominant spiny lobster in south east and south west coast of India, Panulirus homarus (Linnaeus)
was selected for this study.
Uptake, accumulation and utilization of minerals and trace elements
are important events during embryogenesis of aquatic invertebrates. The
scope of this study was widened to include these aspects also in order to
understand how specific requirements of minerals and trace elements are
met in the developing eggs of these two species of crustaceans. |