Fish welfare, fast muscle cellularity, fatty acid and body-composition of juvenile spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) fed a combination of plant proteins and microalgae (Nannochloropsis oceanica)

Abstract

Spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) is a promising candidate for diversification of cold-water aquaculture. An increased knowledgebase is needed concerning the capacity of spotted wolffish to utilize a variety of feed ingredients such as microalgae and terrestrial plants. The aim of the study was therefore to investigate the effect of incorporating graded levels of microalgae (Nannochloropsis oceanica) on fish welfare indicators (growth, hepasomatic index, hematological parameters), fast muscle cellularity, chemical and fatty acid composition. Three isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets were formulated; one control diet (0% N. oceanica) and two diets with low (7.5% N. oceanica) and high (15% N. oceanica) levels of microalgae replacing fishmeal and wheat in the diets. After 12 weeks of feeding, the fish showed low growth compared to previous wolffish studies (0.26% SGR). However, this effect was not treatment dependent as there were no differences in growth or fast muscle cellularity among the three treatment groups and hematological parameters showed no indications of stress in the fish fed microalgae. Hepatosomatic index decreased over the course of the experiment for all treatment groups; a significantly larger reduction was noted in the algae-fed fish compared to the control. The omega-3 fatty acid EPA increased in the whole body of the fish fed diets containing microalgae. The results suggest that spotted wolffish has potential to utilize inclusions of up to 15% of the microalgae N. oceanica.