Larvae Rearing Unit

Larviculture, the art and science of raising fish from egg to juvenile, is widely regarded as the most delicate stage of any hatchery operation. Larvae are fragile, microscopic at first, extremely sensitive to water quality, and dependent on a precise cascade of live feeds and environmental cues to develop normally. Small mistakes at this stage can undo months of broodstock management downstream. The new unit at IRTA la Ràpita was designed specifically to remove that fragility from the research equation, giving scientists a controlled, repeatable, and biosecure environment in which to study and improve the earliest days of a fish’s life.