Dietary Lysine Requirement of Juvenile Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus

The dietary lysine requirement of juvenile red drum Sciaenops ocellatus was reevaluated in two separate experiments. In the first experiment, lyophilized red drum muscle was combined with an L-form crystalline amino acid premix to yield diets containing approximately 35% protein on a dry-matter basis. Gradations (0.25%) of L-lysine HCl were added to the basal diet containing approximately 1.0% lysine. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of juvenile red drum initially weighing 6–7 g for 8 weeks. Based on growth and feed efficiency data, the lysine requirement (±SE) was determined to be 1.55% (±0.079%) of dry diet or 4.430% of dietary protein. In a second experiment, the lysine requirement of red drum was investigated with diets containing 35% intact protein from zein and red drum muscle. Each of the zein-based diets containing incremental levels of lysine was fed to triplicate groups of juvenile red drum initially weighing 1–2 g for 8 weeks. A crystalline amino acid test diet serving as a control in this experiment significantly outperformed the zein-based diets, and palatability of those diets was questionable due to an obvious change in feeding behavior of the fish. Due to the inferior performance of the fish fed the zein-based diets, the authors were not successful in determining a requirement with these diets. Thus, a lysine requirement of 1.55% of dry diet (4.43% of dietary protein) as determined in the first experiment is recommended for juvenile red drum.     

Marsupialization of an abdominal abscess caused by Serratia marcescens in a mare

An intra-abdominal abscess was diagnosed in a 7-year-old mare by palpation per rectum and from abnormal clinicopathologic findings. Initial treatment with procaine penicillin for 21 days was unsuccessful in halting the deterioration of the physical condition of the mare. Surgical exploration of the abdomen revealed a mass in the wall of the left ventral colon. Drainage was achieved by marsupialization. Serratia marcescens was isolated from the abscess. Recovery appeared complete, and the mare has resumed broodmare capability.     

Dietary Effects on Sperm Quality of Litopenaeus vannamei Broodstock

A 56‐d feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of diet on sperm quality of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei broodstock. Dietary treatments consisted of a combination of 75% dry maturation diet and 25% fresh‐frozen squid (dry‐weight basis). Supplemental nutrients of the maturation diet were selectively deleted and replaced with wheat starch to produce the following treatments: 1) 75% basal maturation diet plus 25% squid (control); 2) 75% maturation diet without supplemental vitamins plus 25% squid; 3) 75% maturation diet without supplemental cholesterol and phospholipids plus 25% squid; 4) 75% maturation diet without supplemental astaxanthin plus 25% squid; and 5) a fresh diet composed of 60% squid and 40% Maine bloodworms. Shrimp fed the control diet and the diet without supplemental astaxanthin had significantly higher mean (± SEM) change in sperm count (4.6 ± 3.2 million sperm cells and 2.9 ± 2.5 million sperm cells, respectively), with respect to baseline (8.7 ± 1.0, 6.4 ± 1.0, 9.0 ± 1.3, 6.6 ± 0.7, and 6.0 ± 0.8 million sperm cells for treatments 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively), than shrimp fed the diet without supplemental vitamins (‐1.7 ± 2.6 million sperm cells), but not significantly higher than those of shrimp receiving the diets without supplemental cholesterol‐phospholipids (1.2 ± 2.5 million sperm cells) and the fresh diet (1.3 ± 1.6 million sperm cells). Dietary deficiencies also were reflected in weight gain of shrimp fed the diet without supplemental vitamins (‐2.0 g) and the fresh diet (‐0.8 g). which were significantly lower than weight gain of shrimp fed the control diet (1.1 g) and the diet without supplemental cholesterol‐phospholipids (0.8 g). No significant differences were detected among treatments for percentage of abnormal sperm and survival data. Results demonstrated a significant effect of diet on reproductive quality of male L. vannamei and indicated that the typical combination of fresh‐food organisms used is not nutritionally optimal for male broodstock.     

大豆粕在杂食性淡水鱼类饲料中的应用

世界水产养殖产量以生活在淡水中的杂食性鱼类为主,包括各种鲤科鱼类及鲶鱼类.大豆粕系为这些鱼类配制饲料中的一种主要成分,通常占50%-60%.由于大豆粕适宜的适口性以及对这些鱼类具有极高的营养价值,包括高含量的粗蛋白、互补性氨基酸种类及相对高的营养物消化率,饲料配方中应用这样的配比水平是可行的.在保持最佳鱼产量的同时,在世界各国养殖的许多杂食性淡水鱼类的饲料配方中,大豆粕已在很大程度上替代了较为昂贵的蛋白质原料(如鱼粉).     

Heritability of juvenile growth traits in red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.)

Heritability of juvenile growth rate was estimated for red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), an economically important sciaenid fish in the southern USA. Thirty‐eight families were generated via ‘natural’ spawning of multiple sets of five breeders (three dams × two sires) in individual brood tanks. Offspring were individually tagged with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags and mixed for grow‐out in replicate ‘common‐garden’ tanks. Juvenile growth was followed from 166.4±18.6 to 254.0±27.0 mm (total length). Offspring were assigned a posteriori to individual brood fish (dam and sire) based on genotypes at nuclear‐encoded microsatellites. Heritability (h²) of a thermal growth coefficient was estimated using an animal‐additive model and a restricted maximum‐likelihood algorithm. Estimates of h² were 0.33±0.08 and 0.31±0.08 for thermal growth coefficient based on length and weight respectively. These results indicate a significant genetic component in juvenile growth rate in red drum. Estimates of h² for condition coefficient (K) at various measurement dates averaged 0.38, suggesting a genetic component to shape in juvenile red drum.     

A preliminary study on the effects of dietary supplementation of brewers yeast and nucleotides, singularly or in combination, on juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with brewers yeast (Brewtech^®) and nucleotides (Optimûn), either singularly or in combination, on red drum growth, body composition, stress responses and possible resistance to Amyloodinium ocellatum infection. Juvenile red drum (～1 g initially) fed practical fish‐meal‐based diets for 6 weeks had similar weight gain regardless of whether the diet was unsupplemented (basal) or supplemented with brewers yeast (2% of diet), nucleotides (Optimûn at 0.2% of diet) or both brewers yeast (2% of diet) and nucleotides (Optimûn at 0.2% of diet). Dietary effects on hepatosomatic index, intraperitoneal fat ratio or whole‐body composition were not significant, except that fish fed the singular nucleotide supplement had a significantly higher whole‐body lipid content compared with fish fed the basal diet. No significant dietary effects on cortisol response were observed after a 15 min confinement stress test perhaps because of the extreme variation among individual fish. Subsequently, in situ challenge by co‐habitation with A. ocellatum caused 100% mortality regardless of dietary treatment within a 48 h period. It is concluded that dietary supplementation of brewers yeast and nucleotides did not promote enhanced growth or improved cortisol response and resistance to uncontrolled amyloodiniosis in juvenile red drum, at least at the tested dosages.