Growth of 0-group turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L. 1758) fed on artificial diets

Group-0 turbot Scophthalmus maximus L. were fed on artificial diets for 13 months, at 15° C. Partially defined diets containing about 40% protein were used and fish were fed once per day with moist pellets.The mean weight of the fish, at the beginning of the experiment, was 3.5 g. During the first 6 months, a fish gained 15 g weight on average, and 40 g in the following 6 months. The final mean weight was 62 g, and the final mean total length, 15.3 cm. The daily growth rate was 0.7% and the protein efficiency ratio (P.E.R.) ranged between 1.4 and 2.1.For fish fed on natural food at 15° C, the results were similar for the first 9 months. Subsequently, these fish grew faster than those fed artificial diets.