Copepods are the most numerous metazoans on earth and they represent
about 80 % of the zooplankton in the ocean. In nature, they constitute a vital link
in the marine food chain from primary producers to higher trophic levels i.e. fish.
They are the natural choice as food for many marine finfish larvae. Various studies
have demonstrated that copepod may have a higher nutritional value than Artemia
sp., as the nutritional profile of copepods appears to be better suited to the
nutritional requirements of marine fish larvae. In addition, they can be administered
in different forms, either as nauplii as a starter feed or as copepodites/full grown
copepods until weaning. This makes them a suitable group as live feed in
aquaculture
