Mass rearing of spiny lobster larvae in recirculation systems - do some broodstock produce larvae better adapted to culture?

Captive reproduction of spiny lobsters is of substantial interest to aquaculture; however, it has been an elusive goal due to their protracted larval (phyllosoma) phase of development. The prime species for aquaculture is the tropical lobster Panulirus ornatus, it can be cultured from a juvenile to adult in 18 months, has high market demand and is currently farmed commercially in South East Asia using wildcaught seedstock. Recent breakthroughs in larval production technology at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies has changed the outlook for aquaculture of this species with commercialisation of the technology currently underway.