Evaluation of mosquito fish Gambusia holbrooki (Girard) as a partial and complete pellet replacement for juvenile barramundi Lates calcarifer (Bloch)

Barramundi (Lates calcarifer, Bloch) fed live mosquito fish (Gambusia holbrooki, Girard) exhibited faster growth and a better food conversion ratio (on a dry‐weight basis) than those fed an iso‐calorific ration of commercial barramundi pellets and a 50:50 ration of mosquito fish and pellets. The improved performance of barramundi fed mosquito fish was attributed to their higher protein content, higher protein to energy ratio and lower carbohydrate content. The essential amino acid indices and fatty acid profiles of the two diets were similar, suggesting that imbalances or deficiencies in these nutrients were not the limiting factor to the slower growth of barramundi fed on pellets. The use of mosquito fish as barramundi food offers a potential use of this noxious species and may allow barramundi to be cultured without the use of conventional fish meal.     

Age dependency of nervous necrosis virus infection in barramundi Lates calcarifer (Bloch)

Age‐dependent susceptibility to nervous necrosis virus (NNV) was demonstrated for barramundi (Lates calcarifer). The experiment used juvenile barramundi produced from a single spawning that were challenged consecutively by immersion with a redspotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) isolate. The dose and environmental conditions (35 ppt salinity and 30 °C) were constant. Fish and water were sampled longitudinally for histopathology and RT‐qPCR analysis to examine the evolution of the disease, virus replication, immune response and release of virus into water. Viral nervous necrosis (VNN) disease occurred in barramundi challenged at 3 and 4 weeks of age while fish challenged at 5, 7 and 9 weeks of age developed subclinical infection. Replication of NNV occurred faster and the concentration of virus reached higher concentrations in the younger fish with clinical disease. Virus isolation and qPCR tests indicated that infectious NNV was released from carcasses into water when fish were affected with clinical disease but not when NNV infection was subclinical. Based on these observations, we consider that carcasses from clinically infected fish have a potentially important role in the horizontal transmission of NNV, and barramundi juveniles should be protected from exposure to NNV until they are 5 weeks of age and reach the disease resistance threshold.     

ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING A HYDROPONIC-LETTUCE SYSTEM INTO A BARRAMUNDI FISH PRODUCTION SYSTEM

The economic benefits of an aquaculture-hydroponic integrated system are evaluated using a hydroponic-lettuce and barramundi fish production system as a case study. Technical data were obtained for a case study farm located at Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia. The net present values of annual cash flows over a 10-year planning horizon were determined for barramundi and lettuce production as stand-alone units, and alternatively as integrated units, using a capital budgeting framework. Integrated production enables barramundi effluent to be used as a source of nutrients for the lettuce production. This results in an increase in net benefits equal to the reduction in barramundi effluent disposal costs, and the saving of some water and nutrient costs of the lettuce system.     

Dietary fish oil replacement with palm or poultry oil increases fillet oxidative stability and decreases liver glutathione peroxidase activity in barramundi (Lates calcarifer)

Complete dietary fish oil replacement with palm or poultry oil in barramundi (Lates calcarifer) had no detrimental effects on growth or hepatosomatic index of juvenile fish up to an average size of ~50 g. However, it significantly decreased the omega-3 (n-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the fish muscle (fillet) lipids. This was particularly true for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which are recognised for their health beneficial effects in the human diet. As a result of their decreased EPA and DHA content, the peroxidation index of the muscle lipids was also decreased. This was associated with increased simulated retail storage shelf life as indicated by decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in muscle samples from fish fed the palm or poultry oil-based diets. Concomitantly, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, but not glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity or reduced glutathione concentration, was significantly reduced in the liver of barramundi fed the palm or poultry oil-based diets as compared with the fish fed the fish oil-based diet. Furthermore, GPx and GST activity were very low in muscle, much lower than in gastrointestinal tract, liver or swim bladder. Therefore, we propose that liver GPx activity may be a good predictor of fillet shelf life in barramundi and other fish species.     

Bioenergetics of cannibalism in juvenile barramundi Lates calcarifer (Bloch): exploring growth advantage of fish fed live prey and formulated diet

The present study investigated the growth performance of juvenile barramundi Lates calcarifer (Bloch) fed conspecific prey (CP), formulated diet (FD) and a mix of both (MIX) using a bioenergetics approach. Fish in the MIX treatment ingested significantly more CP than FD by dry mass. However, prey mass ingestion and cannibalism rate in the MIX treatment were significantly lower than in the CP treatment. This indicates that the provision of alternative food does not complete mitigate cannibalism, but it can significantly reduce cannibalism in barramundi. Fish in the FD treatment showed a significantly higher daily food intake than fish in the CP or MIX treatments. However, fish fed conspecifics showed significantly better feed conversion efficiencies, apparent digestibility rates and growth performances. Exclusive cannibalistic barramundi assimilated significantly more energy consumed, with 1.5% of energy lost in faeces comparing with 7.3% of siblings feeding exclusively on FD. Consequently, exclusive cannibals channelized more energy consumption into growth (57.1%) than those fed solely on FD (43.9%). Therefore, high energy allocation into growth promoted better feed conversion efficiency and growth performance of cannibalistic barramundi than siblings fed solely on FDs. This study implies that fast‐growing cannibals may continuously prey on slow‐growing conspecifics due to growth advantage through cannibalism. Therefore, size heterogeneity should be reduced at initial stocking and controlled as fish grow to avoid the emergence of new cannibals.     

The influence of dietary fatty acid and fasting on the hepatic lipid metabolism of barramundi (Lates calcarifer)

For many fish species, dietary fish oil (FO) has been substituted with other oils such as poultry oil (PO) without affecting growth performance. However, in barramundi, the mechanisms by which fatty acid metabolism is regulated are poorly understood, and the effects of FO substitution are unknown. This study defined changes in the expression of genes controlling the metabolism of fatty acids in barramundi over a 24‐h time period after a single meal. From one to 12 h after a single feeding event, the expression of fatty acid synthesis genes in the liver was upregulated, while genes involved in the β‐oxidation showed minimal alteration. However, the expression of β‐oxidation genes was significantly correlated with the expression of genes regulating fatty acid synthesis. In a second experiment, the changes in liver fatty acid composition and gene expression were defined after FO was substituted with PO. Liver fatty acid profile reflected the diet composition, with some subtle exceptions supporting the enrichment of certain long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the liver. The fish from all experimental groups preferentially retained more docosahexaenoic acid than eicosapentaenoic acid in the liver, suggesting a bioconversion of this fatty acid to intermediate fatty acids. Replacement of FO with PO significantly regulated genes controlling both fatty acid synthesis and catabolism pathways, potentially related to a higher percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids, in the livers of fish fed these diets. The results demonstrated that diet composition significantly altered the lipid metabolism in barramundi and that there was a balance between direct dietary effects and endogenous synthetic capacity.     

Effect of piscine GH/IGF-I on final oocyte maturation in vitro in Heteropneustes fossilis

Growth hormone (GH) has recently been identified as co-gonadotropin regulating fish reproduction, hitherto, no effort has been made to see its effect on oocyte maturation in fishes, though some reports demonstrate the role of insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in oocyte maturation in teleosts. Hence, effect of GH on oocyte maturation in post-vitellogenic H. fossilis has been worked out in the present study. Post-vitellogenic follicles in the ovarian tissue were challenged in vitro with H. fossilis pituitary homogenate (fPH), Clarias batrachus GH and GtH, barramundi IGF-I (IGF-I), 17α, 20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP) and testosterone alone, or in combination with IGF-I for 18 h at 26±1°C. Incubation of ovarian tissue with GH in the presence of actinomycin d or cycloheximide or barramundi IGF-I antiserum was also made separately. In general, oocyte maturation was induced by fPH, barramundi IGF-I, GtH, GH and DHP, which was augmented further by addition of barramundi IGF-I. Testosterone had no effect on GVBD. Actinomycin d, cycloheximide and anti barramundi IGF-I abolished the GH induced oocyte maturation. Present study suggests for the first time that GH has a role in egg maturation in fish.     

Dietary composition manipulation to enhance the performance of juvenile barramundi (Lates calcarifer Bloch) reared in cool water

Barramundi Lates calcarifer reared in cool water (20–22°C) grow slowly and feed is used poorly compared with fish in warm water (28–32°C). Two comparative slaughter growth assays were carried out with juvenile barramundi to see if increasing the digestible energy (DE) and/or the n‐3 highly unsaturated fatty acid (n‐3 HUFA) content of the feed would improve growth of fish raised in cool water. Increasing the DE content of the feed from 15 to 17 or 19 MJ kg⁻¹ while maintaining a constant protein to energy ratio in Experiment 1 brought about significant improvements in feed conversion ratio (FCR) (from 2.01 to 1.19) and daily growth coefficient (DGC; from 0.69 to 1.08%/day) for fish at 20°C. For fish at 29°C, improvements, while significant, were of a lesser magnitude: from 1.32 to 0.97 for FCR and from 3.24 to 3.65%/day for DGC. Increasing the absolute amount of dietary n‐3 HUFA, expressed as the sum of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic fatty acids, from 0.5% to 2.0% in Experiment 2 improved DGC linearly and FCR curvilinearly for fish at 29°C whereas at 20°C, DGC was not affected while FCR improved slightly (from 1.83 to 1.68). Feed conversion ratio was optimized with a dietary n‐3 HUFA of about 1.5%. Providing barramundi with a feed that is high in DE (viz 19 MJ kg⁻¹) and a digestible protein to DE ratio of 22.5 g MJ⁻¹ is a practical strategy for improving the productivity of barramundi cultured in cool water whereas increasing dietary n‐3 HUFA conferred very little additional benefit.     

A factorial growth and feed utilization model for barramundi, Lates calcarifer based on Australian production conditions

To optimize feeds and feed management for barramundi ( Lates calcarifer ), an improved factorial model is required. A growth function describing weight gain by barramundi as a function of fish weight and water temperature was derived from farm and laboratory data. The function was of the form: A maintenance energy demand function was also derived on a similar form and two functions combined to form the basis of a factorial model for this species. An assessment of protein and energy utilization efficiency was undertaken to examine the effect of fish size on the estimation of these parameters. Fish size had a significant effect on energy utilization efficiency on a linear basis, but no such difference was observed if the data were considered using non-linear methods. Protein utilization efficiency was also observed to be clearly non-linear, and although protein deposition capacity differed with fish size, the efficiencies of protein utilization were not affected. Using this factorial model, optimal iterative feed specifications were defined for a range of fish sizes and formulation constraints. A feed demand model was also developed based on the demand for digestible energy.     

Nucleotide Degradation Profiles of Iced Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) and Nile Perch (Lates niloticus) Muscle

Adenine nucleotides and their related compounds were determined in muscle extracts from two species of fish that were stored in ice after thawing. The fish were the closely related species, Australian barramundi (Lates calcarifer) and Kenyan Nile perch (Lates niloticus) which had different process histories. For all samples, adenine nucleotides did not exceed 6% of the total nucleotide pool. Inosine monophosphate (IMP) decreased steadily with storage. Hypoxanthine (Hx) was the major product of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) degradation in both barramundi and Nile perch, showing a steady increase with days of iced storage. The Hx level did not reach a maximum during the 9d storage period. The K-value also increased regularly with time of storage and for the later stages (i.e., 7 and 9d) and was significantly different (P < 0.01) for the species. The iced storage life of these typical samples of barramundi and Nile perch was estimated to be 3d after thawing using a K-value of < 30% to indicate excellent quality. Despite the differences in process history the nucleotide profiles were remarkably similar during storage. This precludes the use of nucleotide levels as a means of differentiating between these species.     

A compendium of raw material digestibilities for barramundi,Lates calcarifer

A series of experiments were conducted to examine the nutrient and energy digestibility of a suite of diets and specific test raw materials when fed to juvenile (179 to 439 g) barramundi, Lates calcarifer. Each of the diets was prepared using a twin‐screw extruder to mimic modern aquafeed manufacturing processes. Each of the diets was fed to juvenile barramundi for a minimum of a week to allow acclimation to the diet before the faeces were collected using stripping methods. A broad range of digestible nutrient and energy values among the different raw materials were observed, with protein digestibilities ranging from 36% to 106% and energy digestibilities ranging from 36% to 93%. This range in nutritional values of the different raw materials provides substantial utility in allowing the formulation of diets on a digestible nutrient and energy basis across the Asia Pacific region. These results also provide critical data to help underpin the replacement of both fishmeal and fish oil in barramundi diets.     

Effects of dietary fish oil replacement on growth and carcass proximate composition of juvenile barramundi (Lates calcarifer)

An experiment was carried out to determine the effects of dietary fish oil replacement at an optimal level on the growth and carcass proximate composition of juvenile barramundi or sea bass (Lates calcarifer). Ten fish feeds were formulated to contain iso‐ingredients with theoretically identical dietary lipid levels but with different sources of lipids (fish oil, soybean oil, canola oil and linseed oil) replacing dietary fish oil. Three hundred fish were equally divided into 30 70‐L plastic tanks (three replicate tanks for each treatment). Fish were fed with experimental diets for 40 days within closed recirculating freshwater systems (70 L h^?1, 28°C and 12L:12D). Growth, specific growth rate, food conversion ratio (FCR) and carcass proximate composition were determined. Dietary lipids significantly affected (P<0.05) the growth of the fish. Good growth and low FCR were observed in all treatments. Therefore, fish oils can be partially replaced by vegetable oils to reduce the feed cost. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in lipid, moisture and protein content in fish carcasses among the group. However, juvenile barramundi showed increasing lipid and moisture content in muscle, whereas decreasing protein content when compared to the initial fish.     

Growth,enzymatic glutathione peroxidase activity and biochemical status of juvenile barramundi (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lates calcarifer</Emphasis>) fed dietary fermented soybean meal and organic selenium

Solvent-extracted soybean meal (SBM) was fermented using baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisae at 30 °C for 5 days. Four isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets containing 75% SBM protein, either fermented or non-fermented (SBM and FSBM), and supplemented or not with organic Se (OS) (SBM_OS and FSBM_OS), were fed to triplicate groups of juvenile barramundi (Lates calcarifer) (initial weight of 5 g) for 75 days. A fishmeal (FM)-based diet formulated for juvenile barramundi was used as a reference diet. The growth of fish was significantly affected by either the interaction of SBM type or by the OS level. In fish fed diets supplemented with OS (SBM_OS and FSBM_OS), final weight (FW), specific growth rate (SGR) and weight gain (WG) were higher in fish fed the fermented SBM (FSBM_OS) than in those fed the non-fermented SBM (SBM_OS). The apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of protein was higher in the fish fed the fermented SBM, either supplemented or unsupplemented with OS. However, there were no significant differences in the ADC of dry matter (DM) and lipids among the tested diets and in comparison to the reference diet. The haematocrit and leucocrit of fish fed the FSBM_OS diet were lower than those of fish fed the FM diet. Furthermore, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity was significantly influenced by OS supplementation in the experimental diets; GPx activity was greater in the fish fed diets supplemented with OS. Creatinine kinase (CK) of all groups of fish was higher than the CK of those fed the reference diet. These results suggest that with a proper nutritional level, OS supplementation may act as an important factor in enzymatic GPx activity and in the haematology and blood biochemistry status of juvenile barramundi fed fermented SBM-based diets, encouraging improvement of the overall growth performance.     

Effect of dietary saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in juvenile barramundi Lates calcarifer

Barramundi (Lates calcarifer), a catadromous teleost of commercial interest, perform well when fed a wide range of dietary oils. However, the range of alternative oils now being explored is typically rich in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (SFA and MUFA). In this study, the response of juvenile barramundi (47.0 g per fish initial weight) fed isolipidic and isoenergetic diets with 82 g kg^?1 added oil was tested. The experimental test diets had a 2 : 1 or 1 : 2 ratio of SFA to MUFA (SFA‐D and MUFA‐D, respectively) compared to a control diet (CTRL‐D) fed for 8 weeks. The diets containing mostly olive oil (dietary MUFA‐D) and mostly refined palm oil (dietary SFA‐D) did not impact the growth performance or feed utilization parameters of the barramundi. The in vivo beta‐oxidation activity was consistent with the dietary fatty acid composition, with the most dominant FA being heavily beta‐oxidized. Together, the in vivo whole‐body mass balance of fatty acids showed that n‐3 long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC‐PUFA) were most efficiently utilized in the SFA‐D‐ and MUFA‐D‐fed fish. This study provides evidence that additional dietary MUFA and SFA are suitable lipid classes for juvenile barramundi and they are both equally efficient at sparing LC‐PUFA from an oxidative fate.     

广东省养殖罗非鱼、海鲈、尖吻鲈海豚链球菌感染调查

利用细菌分离培养方法结合特异PCR技术,对广东省珠三角地区养殖罗非鱼(Oreochromis spp.)、海鲈(Lateolabrax japonicus)及尖吻鲈(Lates calcarifer)的海豚链球菌(Streptococcus iniae)感染情况进行了周年调查。每月固定时间在特定养殖区域采集目标鱼的脑、肝、脾、肾和肌肉等组织,并对其进行海豚链球菌的细菌分离培养鉴定。仅从已经患病的尖吻鲈中分离到3株链球菌,经生理生化鉴定和16S rDNA测序确定为海豚链球菌。利用海豚链球菌特异PCR技术对上述养殖鱼类不同组织进行检测,发现罗非鱼、海鲈、尖吻鲈的海豚链球菌感染率分别为30.21%、23.53%、14.55%,其中罗非鱼脑和肌肉的感染率明显较其他组织高(P<0.05),分别为20.65%和23.75%;海鲈的脑部和肌肉感染率也较其他组织高(P<0.05),分别为12.1%和10%;而尖吻鲈各组织感染率没有较大差异(P>0.05)。另外,研究结果还表明采集样本的海豚链球菌感染率随着其体长的增加而呈现下降趋势。     

Natural outbreak of Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) infection in wild giant Queensland grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus (Bloch), and other wild fish in northern Queensland, Australia

Ninety‐three giant Queensland grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus (Bloch), were found dead in Queensland, Australia, from 2007 to 2011. Most dead fish occurred in northern Queensland, with a peak of mortalities in Cairns in June 2008. In 2009, sick wild fish including giant sea catfish, Arius thalassinus (Rüppell), and javelin grunter, Pomadasys kaakan (Cuvier), also occurred in Cairns. In 2009 and 2010, two disease epizootics involving wild stingrays occurred at Sea World marine aquarium. Necropsy, histopathology, bacteriology and PCR determined that the cause of deaths of 12 giant Queensland grouper, three wild fish, six estuary rays, Dasyatis fluviorum (Ogilby), one mangrove whipray, Himantura granulata (Macleay), and one eastern shovelnose ray, Aptychotrema rostrata (Shaw), was Streptococcus agalactiae septicaemia. Biochemical testing of 34 S. agalactiae isolates from giant Queensland grouper, wild fish and stingrays showed all had identical biochemical profiles. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of isolates confirmed all isolates were S. agalactiae; genotyping of selected S. agalactiae isolates showed the isolates from giant Queensland grouper were serotype Ib, whereas isolates from wild fish and stingrays closely resembled serotype II. This is the first report of S. agalactiae from wild giant Queensland grouper and other wild tropical fish and stingray species in Queensland, Australia.     

Draft genome sequence of scale drop disease virus (SDDV) retrieved from metagenomic investigation of infected barramundi,Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790)

Scale drop disease virus (SDDV) is a novel viral pathogen considered to be distributed in farmed barramundi (Lates calcarifer) in South-East Asia. Despite the severity of the disease, only limited genomic information related to SDDV is available. In this study, samples of SDDV-infected fish collected in 2019 were used. The microbiome of brain tissue was investigated using Illumina HiSeq DNA sequencing. Taxonomic analysis showed that SDDV was the main pathogen contained in the affected barramundi. De novo metagenome assembly recovered the SDDV genome, named isolate TH2019, 131 kb in length, and comprised of 135 ORFs. Comparison between this genome and the Singaporean SDDV reference genome revealed that the nucleotide identity within the aligned region was 99.97%. Missense, frameshift, insertion and deletion mutations were identified in 26 ORFs. Deletion of four deduced amino acid sequence in ORF_030L, identical to the SDDV isolate previously identified in Thailand, would be a potential biomarker for future strain classification. Interestingly, the genome of SDDV TH2019 harboured a unique 7,695-bp-long genomic region containing six hypothetical protein-encoded genes. Collectively, this study demonstrated that the SDDV genome can be sequenced directly, although with limited coverage depth, using metagenomic analysis of barramundi sample with severe infection.     

The nutritional management of barramundi, Lates calcarifer– a review

Barramundi nutrition research has been undertaken since the 1980s. From that time to the present, the requirements for most nutrients, energy demand, ingredient utilization and the effects of nutrition on flesh quality aspects have all been examined to varying extents. Optimal protein content of diets has been shown to vary with diet energy density and also the size of fish that are being fed. Most studies have suggested a protein requirement from 450 to 550 g kg^?1. For small fish, a protein to energy ratio of 25 to 30 g MJ^?1 is suggested. Limited work has been carried out on fish larger than 500 g. The 10 essential amino acids for other fish are also considered to be required by barramundi. Proportional requirements have been identified for methionine, lysine and arginine. Protein utilization efficiency by barramundi has been estimated at 46% efficiency. Iteratively determined protein and amino acid requirements suggest that the requirement for protein and amino acids will decrease with increasing fish size and are largely consistent with empirically determined requirements. Lipid requirements for energy and essential fatty acids (EFAs) show that smaller fish performed the best with a dietary lipid level of 140–160 g kg^?1, while growth of larger fish continued to improve with lipid levels up to 190 g kg^?1, although no higher levels were examined. EFA requirements have been identified for long‐chain n‐3 fatty acids and minimum levels of 10 g kg^?1 have been indicated. An optimal ratio of n‐3 to n‐6 fatty acids of 1.5 to 1.8:1 was also suggested. Barramundi have shown limited capacity to utilize dietary carbohydrates for energy, with starch digestibilities below 30% at even low inclusion levels. Barramundi also exhibit limited glycaemic control, being unable to rapidly reduce blood glucose levels. Requirements have been demonstrated for several key vitamins and quantitative requirements determined for varying forms of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Quantitative requirements have also been established for pyridoxine and pantothenic acid but only qualitative assessments for other key vitamins. Few mineral requirements have been identified. Phosphorus is the only mineral to be studied and a requirement between 5.5 and 6.5 g kg^?1 is suggested. Energy demands of barramundi have been shown to be largely driven by thermodynamic demands on metabolic requirements and the demand for somatic energy deposition. Energy utilization by barramundi has been estimated as 68% efficient. Energy demands for maintenance are shown to be related to liveweight by an exponent of about 0.8. Variations in temperature are shown to vary the maintenance energy requirement but do not affect the efficiency of energy utilization. Feed management through feed specification selection has been shown to be possible through selection of feed protein and energy content based on the fish's change in somatic energy density. Typically, this leads to the use of lower protein and higher energy density feeds with larger fish. Ration allocation based on changes in fish size and temperatures has been studied from both iterative and empirical perspectives, and tables were developed based on these findings. Several key feed ingredients have been evaluated for their digestibility, palatability and energy and nutrient utilization. Among those ingredients were meat meals, lupin kernel meals, soybean meals and some plant oils. Limited effects of feed ingredients on flesh quality have been noted, although some effects of diet nutrient and energy specifications have been noted.     

Dietary influence of Fucoidan supplementation on growth of Lates calcarifer (Bloch)

Sulphated polysaccharides exhibit a range of activities which promote health and growth benefits to aquaculture species. One class of sulphated polysaccharides derived from marine algae is fucoidan, which is suggested to exhibit an affinity to the negative muscle growth inhibitory protein myostatin. Addition of fucoidan to the diet of fish therefore may lead to enhancements in growth through inactivation of the myostatin protein. To examine the growth enhancing potential of this sulphated polysaccharide, fucoidan extracts from Undaria pinnatifida were added to the diet of juvenile barramundi, Lates calcarifer. The fucoidan extract was of 86% purity and included in two treatment diets at 5 g kg^?1 (0.5%) and 10 g kg^?1 (1%) respectively. Fish were fed the diet for 52 days. At the end of the feeding trial, barramundi fed with the 1% fucoidan inclusion diet exhibited enhanced growth with significantly increased lengths, weights and muscle fibre area (hypertrophy) when compared to the 0.5% fucoidan inclusion diet and the non‐fucoidan control diet. This research suggests that addition of fucoidan to the diet of fish may have growth promoting effects.