L. guttatus is a fish belonging to the Lutjanidae family, known in Panama as spotted snapper. The commercial value of this fish is high, hence the interest in carrying out projects with this species within the IATTC’s Achotines Laboratory.
ARAP is the agency responsible for managing fisheries and aquaculture and through its Research and Development Department, prioritizes the transfer of technology to coastal communities. It is currently implementing a project to scale up spotted snapper culture with the goal of producing fingerlings for rearing in marine cages. Outreach efforts have been made to interested communities, including workshops on the culture of this species (Cañas Island).
Broodstock fish are captured with a size of ±37 cm TL. Upon arrival at the laboratory, fish are tagged intramuscularly and undergo an acclimatization period in raceway tanks for approximately 30 days. Feeding is done to satiety for the first few days and then fish are fed at 5% of their total weight. Before transfer to the broodstock tank, fish are treated with freshwater for 1 minute, weighed and measured to adjust their feeding.
Currently, we have 37 individuals distributed across two concrete tanks (T3 and T4), each holding 85 tons of water. The average size is ±39.5 cm and the average weight is ±1220 g. Individuals in T3 were induced with Ovaprim (a superactive analog of GnRH and domperidone). Spawning occurred 48 hours later, yielding a total of 156,533 eggs.
We observed a total of 45 spawnings: 32 natural spawnings (T4) and 13 induced spawnings (T3), with an average of ±288,596 eggs per spawning. The average egg diameter was ±0.753 mm, and the average oil droplet size was ±0.13 mm.
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We will continue capturing more broodstock fish and monitoring environmental parameters to ensure the health of the population. These efforts aim to meet the project goals for 2026, when marine cage farming is expected to begin.