A Comprehensive Review of Live Feed(artemia) Enrichment for Fish Larvae

Live prey such as Artemia nauplii and rotifers are widely used as starter feeds in marine fish larviculture. However, their inherent nutritional deficiencies necessitate enrichment protocols to enhance their dietary value. Bioencapsulation with essential nutrients, including n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs), amino acids (e.g., methionine), vitamins (A and C), selenium, and iodine, has been developed to improve larval growth, survival, and reduce malformations such as incomplete eye migration in flatfish and skeletal deformities. Enrichment with n-3 HUFAs, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), is critical for larval development, while methionine supplementation addresses amino acid deficiencies in Artemia compared to natural copepod prey. Vitamins A and C play vital roles in pigmentation, vision, collagen synthesis, and stress resistance, yet their incorporation into lipid-based enrichment emulsions remains challenging. Selenium, in both inorganic (sodium selenite) and organic (selenoyeast) forms, enhances oxidative stress resistance and immune response, while iodine is essential for thyroid hormone synthesis and successful flatfish metamorphosis. Advances in enrichment techniques, including liposome encapsulation, offer promising solutions for delivering both hydrophilic and lipophilic nutrients. Optimizing these protocols is crucial to meet species-specific larval requirements and improve hatchery production efficiency.