Abstract
As the world’s population continues to grow and the global middle class expands, the demand for animal protein grows alongside them. This demand is pushing the global food production system to its limits and amplifying concerns about environmental degradation. Mariculture, particularly the culture of marine finfish, offers significant opportunities for increased animal protein production, but there are barriers to overcome. One such barrier for many species is the development of larval rearing protocols that are economically feasible on a commercial scale. Live feeds and the costs associated with maintaining their cultures are a major contributor to the cost of the larval rearing process. Because rotifers (Brachionus spp.) are some of the most commonly used live feeds within commercial mariculture, it is important that businesses understand the impact that their choice of rotifer feed has on the culture’s growth and quality. This report assessed the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of two commonly available rotifer diets - Ori-One®® and Rotigrow NannoTM. The trial determined that Ori-One®® was the more cost-effective diet. Although there was more labor required to maintain the Ori-One® culture it remained the more cost-effective choice at all of the labor prices examined, which ranged from hourly wages of $22 to $1.84.