What is the production cycle for a salmonid aquaculture farm?
The aquaculture production cycle for salmonids is closely based on the natural wild salmonid life cycle. Wild Salmonid Life Cycle Fresh water Phase The fresh water cycle begins as the fertilized eggs are deposited in the riverbed and are then covered with gravel by the female. The eggs remain buried in the gravel, develop and hatch over a period of a couple of months. When the eggs hatch and the fry emerges, it is not yet fully developed. They remain in the gravel, as they slowly complete their development over the next two months. The fry has a large orange belly, which is called a yolk sac. At this stage the fry do not eat, but live on the nutrients that are contained in their yolk sac. As the fry continues to develop, the yolk sac gradually decreases in size until it is completely absorbed. At this point the fish, known as a fingerling, is ready to swim up out of the gravel and begin actively feeding on insects, crustaceans and other small organisms in the river, growing rapidly in
