Abstract
The characteristics of dietary utilization, energy conversion efficiency, metabolic rate and energy partitioning were measured for cultured Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT) juveniles fed on an artificial diet. Thirty-one juveniles (1.1 ± 0.3 g BW) were stocked into each of two 2500 L tanks to measure oxygen consumption (ḾO2), swimming speed, digestibility and growth performance. ḾO2 elevated until 2.5 ± 0.3 times of pre-feeding level within 1.5 h after feeding, except for the first feeding, and returned to pre-feeding level within 3 h. Swimming speed fluctuation was corresponded with the ḾO2 fluctuation, and both parameters were stable from 02:00 to 06:00 and also during the whole day for starved fish. These indicate that feeding has strong influence on their metabolic rate. Energy partitioning for faecal, urinary and branchial, heat increment and voluntary activity, standard metabolism, and retained energy were calculated to be 17.2%, 5.9%, 14.9%, 41.3% and 20.7% of total ingested energy, respectively. The results indicate that, unlike other fish, juvenile PBT distribute large amount of energy for maintenance, which allows only a little proportion of ingested energy available for growth.
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