Mass-cultured microalgae are the primary food source for larval and juvenile bivalves, and for the larvae of some crustacean and fish species in mariculture. They also are the primary diet of zooplankton reared as food for late-larvae and juveniles of some crustacean and fish species. In Australia, commercially important maricultured animal species that rely on cultured algae as food for part of their life cycle include edible oysters (Crassostrea gigas and Saccostrea commercialis), pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima), abalone (Haliotis spp.) prawns (Penaeus spp.) and barramundi (Lutes calcar- ifer) which use commercially reared zooplankton (Table 1).
Microalgae used for larval nutrition usually are in the nanoplankton size range (2-20