Abstract
Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) displays a particular eating behaviour that involves considerable oral manipulation and feed waste. We assess the influence of feed delivery rate and pellet size on seabream growth and size variability, feed wastage and economic profitability for a full production cycle. Batches of seabream were fed twice a day according to three different treatments (T1, T2, T3). T1 and T2 fish were fed with the same regime of pellet sizes: 2 mm pellets until the fish reached 0.1 kg, and 4 mm pellets from then on; the feeding rate in T1 was twice that of T2 (20 and 10 g min−1, respectively). T3 fish were fed with pellets of 2 mm until they reached 0.07 kg, with pellets of 4 mm until the fish reached 0.22 kg, and with 6 mm pellets from then on, with a feeding rate of 10 g min−1. T2 showed increased growth, low variability in fish size during the ongrowing and at harvest, less feed wastage both related to the delivery and the chewing behaviour, lower feed costs and improved profitability. Seabream wasted more feed during the second meal. Controlling the feeding process is essential to reduce wastage and increase profitability, which can be achieved by process monitoring and suitable feed pellet management.
Highlights
Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), hereafter referred to as seabream, has been intensively reared in floating cages in the open sea all along the Spanish Mediterranean coast since the 1980s [1].Fish density normally ranges from less than 1 kg m−3 at the beginning of the farming process, up to20–30 kg m−3 before harvesting, depending on cage dimensions and the target commercial size [2].Size grading of juvenile seabreams is usually carried out in nursery facilities prior to stocking the cages, providing more homogeneous batches
In this work, which covers a full production cycle, I evaluate the effect of different feeding regimes with different feed delivery rates and pellet sizes on the waste of feed, growth performance and the size frequency distribution of seabream specimens reared in laboratory conditions, simulating realistic intensive culture conditions [35]
The pellet size was larger in T3 and the duration of the meals were longer in T2
Summary
Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), hereafter referred to as seabream, has been intensively reared in floating cages in the open sea all along the Spanish Mediterranean coast since the 1980s [1]. Size grading of juvenile seabreams is usually carried out in nursery facilities prior to stocking the cages, providing more homogeneous batches This routine enables better growth by facilitating optimal stock and feeding management procedures [3,4] and minimising cannibalism between individuals of different sizes, in the case of juveniles [5,6,7]. In this work, which covers a full production cycle, I evaluate the effect of different feeding regimes with different feed delivery rates and pellet sizes on the waste of feed, growth performance and the size frequency distribution of seabream specimens reared in laboratory conditions, simulating realistic intensive culture conditions (temperature, photoperiod, fish density, daily ration and meals per day) [35]. The economic implications of the experimental feeding regimes are assessed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
