The effects of swimming exercise on growth and whole-body protein and fat contents of fed and unfed fingerling yellowtail

SUMMARY: Fingerling yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata (initial mean body weight 4.3 g), an active pelagic fish, were reared under fed (4 weeks) and unfed (1 week) conditions to investigate the effects of swimming exercise on growth performance and whole body composition. The fish were raised in three water velocities: < 0.3 body length/s (bl/s), 1.0 bl/s, and 2.25 bl/s and fed diets containing two fat levels (13.2 and 20.3%). The exercised fish had significantly higher weight gains and feed efficiencies than the unexercised fish in both dietary fat levels. A second-order polynomial suggested that the optimum water velocity for the growth occurred at about 1.6 bl/s. The whole-body crude protein and fat contents were higher in the exercised fish than in the unexercised fish, and consequently apparent body protein and fat retentions were improved in both dietary fat levels by swimming. However, during 1 week starvation, body fat loss/g body weight loss was higher in the exercised fish than in the unexercised fish. The results of the present study clearly show that swimming condition improves growth performance of fingerling yellowtail, and suggest that swimming exercise stimulates both anabolism and catabolism of protein and fat; however, under fed conditions anabolism appears superior to catabolism.     

First results of spawning and larval rearing of longfin yellowtail Seriola rivoliana as a fast‐growing candidate for European marine finfish aquaculture diversification

The present study describes the adaptation of longfin yellowtail Seriola rivoliana as broodstock and first larval rearing trials under intensive and semi‐intensive conditions. Fifteen sub‐adults were captured in the South coast of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) in June 2007. Fish (initial weight 1.76 ± 0.25 kg) reached a weight of 6.0 ± 1.1 kg in July 2010. Once a year, fish were sampled to determine individual growth in weight and size. In addition, the state of sexual maturity was established based on gonadal biopsies. On the basis of repeated hormonal injection (GnRHa, 20 μg/kg), 10 successful spawns were obtained between July and October 2009, with 92.5 ± 5.5% and 72.6 ± 17.2%, fertilization and egg viability respectively. First results of larval rearing under semi‐intensive conditions, showed an average survival at 30 DAH of 2.5% as compared with 0.5% under intensive conditions. The low survivals under the two rearing conditions in addition to their failure to pass a stress test could be attributed to deficiencies in essential fatty acids as could be seen in both eggs and feeds. Morphometric parameters showed no significant difference between the two rearing systems in 230 DAH larvae.