50 DECEMBER 2013 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Cuttlefish Culture Potential More than 10 years have passed since the Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMar) started the development of cuttlefish aquaculture technology. Then, we acknowledged the potential of cephalopods for aquaculture diversification. Now we believe that cephalopods have potential for generating a second revolution in aquaculture. In fact, the potential of some species, such as the European cuttlefish Sepia officinalis, has already been recognized for several reasons, including its nutritional content (Barnabé 1996). Most cephalopods, the cuttlefish in particular, are rich in protein and essential amino acids but have low carbohydrate and lipid (mostly HUFA and HDL cholesterol) levels (Kreuzer 1984, Okuzumi and Fujii 2000). Furthermore, cuttlefish culture potential extends beyond its production for human consumption, where the sale of high-priced undersized individuals (related to its gourmet/delicacy status) that are in demand in several Mediterranean markets, such as Portugal and Italy, can be assured only by aquaculture production. Applications include the use of the whole animal by recycling by-products (e.g. viscera) for aquafeeds and natural products (Le Cuttlefish Culture at CCMar: Toward Species Diversification in Aquaculture António V. Sykes, Rui A. Gonçalves, Cátia Silva, Paulo A. Frias, Irene L. Segovia, Ana R. Oliveira, Alexandra Alves, Cláudia Aragão, Laura Ribeiro, Peter Hubbard, Eduardo Barata, Catarina Oliveira and José P. Andrade Bihan et al. 2006); ink for food processing (e.g. sepia spaghetti) or as ampromoter of immune function in vertebrates (Liu et al. 2011, Sundaram 2009); and cuttlebone, which is made of calcium carbonate (99 percent aragonite) and used for medicinal and pharmacological purposes (Rocha et al. 2005, Kannan et al. 2007, Cadman et al. 2012, Kim et al. 2012). In addition, the production of cephalopods is also justified by their use as biological models in neuroscience (Williamson and Chrachri 2004, Sio 2011), mechatronics (Laschi et al. 2012), behavior (Wells 1962, Hanlon and Messenger 1996, Tricarico et al. 2011, Gherardi et al. 2012), evolution (Budelmann 1995, Strugnell et al. 2011) and climate change (Pörtner and Farrell 2008, Melzner et al. 2009). Cephalopods are also among most charismatic marine animals that seduce the general public in aquaria. With increasing restrictions on animal capture from the wild and the inclusion of European cuttlefish on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (www.iucnredlist.org), it makes sense to culture cuttlefish. The European cuttlefish has been successfully cultured in the laboratory in North America and Europe since the 1990s, FIGURE 1. Cuttlefish female laying eggs in a 500-L tank (Photo: A. Sykes). FIGURE 2. Cuttlefish hatchlings feeding on frozen grass shrimp (Photo: A. Sykes). European cuttlefish has characteristics that justify this species as an aquaculture candidate, such as large eggs (easily transported and maintained), hatchlings that do not go through a larvae stage, high survival in captivity, tolerance of high densities, handling and shipping, low levels of reported pathologies and morphological abnormalities, and short life cycles, all of which translates into rapid growth rates and 3 months to investment payback.
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