Microalgae are microscopic plants inhabiting the world’s oceans and other aquatic environments. They are the world’s fastest-growing plants: they can double their biomass daily, providing essential nutrition for aquatic animals, including omega-3 oils and other lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. Most marine hatcher­ies grow a variety of microalgae species that serve different needs throughout the production cycle.

Microalgae culture is the most expensive and techni­cally challenging aspect of all hatchery operations. It is estimated that the cost of producing microalgae feed ranges from USD 100 to USD 400 per dry kilogram of microalgae.