Aquaculture

Aquaculture: Controlled culture and propagation of aquatic animals, crustaceans, shellfish, and plants.

Astaxanthin: Astaxanthin belongs to the carotenoid family, a class of natural, fat-soluble pigments responsible for the red, orange and yellow hues in plants, fruits, flowers, birds, fish and crustaceans.

Carotenoids:Pigment molecules found in algal cells and crustaceans (exoskeleton) as well as in plant and animal fats. Fed to fish, salmonids in particular, before marketing to give their meat an attractive red colour.

Fingerling: The stage in a fish's life between 1 inch and the length at which it is restocked for grow-out to market size.

Formulated Feed: A combination of ingredients that provides specific amounts of nutrients per weight of feed.

Fry: The stage in a fish's life from the time it hatches until it reaches 1 inch in length.

Incubation (Eggs): Period from fertilization of the egg until it hatches.

Intensive Culture: Rearing of fish at densities greater than can be supported in the natural environment; utilizes high water flow or exchange rates, aeration, and requires the feeding of formulated feeds.

Juvenile: Fish less than one year old. Also refers to fingerlings.

Quality Assurance: A procedure used to increase evidence of safety.

Smolt: The juvenile salmonid at the time of physiological and physical pre-adaptation to marine life. It is found on its way downstream toward the sea.

Solubility: The degree to which a substance can be dissolved in a liquid; usually expressed as milligrams per liter or percent.

Spawning (Hatchery Context): Act of obtaining eggs from female fish and sperm from male fish.

Xanthophylls: A class of naturally occurring yellow and orange pigments added to fish feeds to enhance the color of skin pigments or muscle.