The Centre started with the hatching and on-growing of tilapia. In 1992 the NAC created its own marine hatchery to serve as a pilot project for commercial scale marine hatcheries. In 1993, 300,000 2g gilthead sea bream fingerlings were produced and the original targeted production of 400,000 fingerlings was reached in 1994. More investments and improved hatchery technology resulted in an average of 1 million fingerlings produced annually between 1995 and 1997. Apart from tilapia and sea bream, sea bass broodstock were reared and trials on the culture of dolphin fish, amberjack, eel and turbot were carried out.

The centre fulfilled its purpose and through the production of sea bass and sea bream, the annual aquaculture production increased dramatically during the 1990's from 60 tonnes in 1991 to a peak of 1800 tonnes in 1998 through the operation of 6 commercial farms. This consisted of 1200 tonnes of sea bream and 600 tonnes of sea bass. Today the production of these two species is stable around 1,500 tons. In the year 2000, Maltese farmers started fattening blue-fin tuna for export. Today the Maltese industry has grown considerably and generated over 120 million Euros in 2007.

Amberjacks:

The Amberjack Project is a five-year joint venture between the Centre and Malta Fishfarming Ltd. It started in 2006, one year after the first amberjack eggs were obtained from broodstock reared in cages. Various advances have been made during the past 3 years and spawning and egg collection have become an annual certainty. Larval survival still needs improvements and a maximum of 14,000 fingerlings were produced in 2010. The management and staff have the ambitious aim to produce a better survival and larger numbers before the five-year term comes to an end.

Bluefin tuna:

Malta is a partner in the 7th Framework EU project known as SELF-DOTT (SELF sustaining aquaculture – Domestication of Thunnus thynnus). This project involves 13 partners from a total of 8 countries: France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Norway and Spain.

Over the three years of this project that started in 2008, the different institutes and companies from these countries will contribute towards a better understanding of the biology of blue-fin tuna within realistic and achievable objectives. The whole project is organized into 3 main work packages, namely reproduction, larval rearing and nutrition. The scientific consortium has already reached one of its main objectives; successfully producing fertilized eggs and viable larvae. The larval rearing groups aim to produce a number of fingerlings for further rearing.

During 2009, the second year of this project, over 200 million good fertilized eggs have been collected from the broodstock of Spain and Italy, showing that the techniques for broodstock management and egg collection have been successful.

This is a very big step forward after the success in the previous 5th Framework project (REPRO-DOTT - Reproduction of Blue-fin tuna), where viable eggs were obtained and artificially inseminated, thus proving that Blue-fin tuna can mature and produce viable eggs and sperm in captivity.

Malta is responsible for holding broodstock for egg collection, egg transportation trials, a broodstock nutrition experiment and sampling blue-fin tuna from the wild. It is also involved in egg transportation to other countries and larval rearing

Meagre:

Recently meagre eggs were imported from Italy for hatching and juvenile production. Juveniles produced will be reared to adults and utilised as broodstock so we can produce a closed cycle of meagre in the near future.

Groupers:

Some groupers are being reared within the broodstock facilities inside Fort San Lucjan. These will be grown to broodstock for egg production, that will be

Sea bream and sea bass:

Various experiments are carried out with sea bass and sea bream. The main aim of producing sea bass and sea bream is to carry out trials on enrichment products and feeds, while training and improving staff. The hatchery at MARC is capable of producing viable eggs of these species. 

Vaccination testing:

The Malta Aquaculture Research Centre carries out vaccine safety tests for a UK based company.

Turtle Rehabilitation Unit:

A number of injured turtles are brought to MARC by fishermen. These turtles are housed at the Centre within the Turtle Rehabilitation Unit, where they are cured. After receiving the necessary treatment, and having undergone rehabilitation, the centre in conjunction with the Nature Protection Unit of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, release the turtles back to their natural environment from a sandy beach. The released turtles are tagged so that useful information on their growth and migration patterns could be obtained in the event of recapture.

For further information please contact the Malta Aquaculture Research Centre by phone 356 – 2229 3300.