International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium

From 11-13 July 2023, the first "Sustainable Development and Utilisation of Artemia Resources" training course was successfully held in Tianjin, China. The training course was organised by the Asian Regional Artemia Reference Center (ARARC), with the support of the Artemia Association of the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance.

The course contains theoretical, practical, and operational training on Artemia cyst processing and quality control, effective utilisation of Artemia as live food in hatcheries, and Artemia pond culture techniques, aiming to promote the sustainable exploration of Artemia resources and their application in larviculture. Nearly one hundred trainees from over thirty enterprises, institutes, and universities across the country participated in the training. The comprehensive coverage of the training course was well recognised by the trainees.

The first conference of the International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium will be organized on September 9, 2024 in Ostend, Belgium. The 8th International Fish & Shellfish Larviculture Symposium - Larvi ’24 - will be organised at the same venue in Ostend from 9-12 September 2024.

A more detailed first announcement with call for presentations will be mailed in the first week of October 2023. A preliminary website has been opened where you can register your interest to participate in this event.

The seminar was held on 28 July 2023 in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in conjunction with the first meeting of the International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium Steering Committee. Video recordings of the technical presentations are available in this collection.

Presentation by Simon Wilkinson, Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific, at the Seminar on Artemia Research and Production, 28 July 2023, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Presentation by Prof. Yeong Yik Sung, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, at the Seminar on Artemia Research and Production, 28 July 2023, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Presentation by Prof. Naser Agh, Artemia and Aquaculture Research Institute, Urmia University, at the Seminar on Artemia Research and Production, 28 July 2023, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Presentation by Prof. Annelies Declercq, Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Centre, Ghent University, at the Seminar on Artemia Research and Production, 28 July 2023, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Presentation by Prof. Nguyen Van Hoa, Can Tho University Vietnam, at the Seminar on Artemia Research and Production, 28 July 2023, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Presentation by Dr Parisa Norouzitallab and Prof. Kartik Baruah, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, at the Seminar on Artemia Research and Production, 28 July 2023, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

The June 2023 issue of World Aquaculture Magazine carries two interesting articles on Artemia for free online viewing:

• Brine Shrimp Artemia Pond Culture in cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
  Muhammad Meezanur Rahman and Patrick Sorgeloos
• Year Round Pond Production of Brine Shrimp Artemia biomass in Thailand: an Example of a Circular Economy.
  Anand Tunsutapanich, Banchong Nissgavanich, Tanan Sanggontanagit, Montakan Tamptin, Kazi Ahmed Kabir and Patrick Sorgeloos

Brine shrimp Artemia nauplii constitute the most widely used live-food item for the larviculture of crustaceans and fish. The unique property of Artemia is its ability to to form dormant embryos or 'cysts'. The cysts are available year-round in large quantities along the shorelines of hypersaline lakes, coastal lagoons and solar salt works.

The aim of this manual is to provide technological guidelines to extension agents, researchers, and salt farmers on Artemia production in salt farms in Cox’s Bazar. The manual was prepared through review recent of activities in Artemia production, the 1996 FAO Manual on the production and use of live food for aquaculture, the 2019 book “ Principle of Artemia culture in solar salt works”, relevant books and published research papers. The manual covers Artemia biology and ecology, standard methods for incubation and stocking, pond management, feeding, health, harvesting and more.

Artemia nauplii are an excellent live food for larviculture of crustaceans and marine fish due to their high digestible protein content, essential fatty acids and small in size. In many countries, hatchery workers lack sufficient knowledge and practices in the application of Artemia nauplii during larval rearing are not standardised. This has resulted in increased costs, disease incidence, and reduced survival in larval rearing.

This training manual on Artemia hatching and decapsulation provides guidance on optimising the use of Artemia nauplii in larval rearing. In addition, the standardised hatching procedure can be used to inoculate Artemia nauplii for culture in the salt farms of Bangladesh. 

Presentation by Prof. Patrick Sorgeloos, Ghent University, at the SDG-aligned Artemia Aquaculture Workshop, 22 September 2021.

Presentation by Meezanur Rahman, WorldFish Centre Bangladesh, at the SDG-aligned Artemia Aquaculture Workshop, 22 September 2021.

With the expansion of hatchery production, the demand for Artemia cysts has continued to increase. Annual consumption is now estimated at 3,500 – 4,000 tonnes, underpinning the production of over 900 billion crustacean post larvae and fish fry by a hatchery industry valued at more than USD 2 billion and the final production of over 10 million tonnes of high-value aquaculture species. With approximately 90 percent of the current Artemia production harvested from inland salt lakes, the future of the hatchery industry could be at risk and requires urgent attention. The workshop explored needs and opportunities for a new international initiative to guarantee a more sustainable provision of Artemia, both from farmed and natural sources.