Growth, Body Composition, and Survival of Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus Fry Fed Hatchery Diets Supplemented with Krill Meal

Abstract

Two 10-day hatchery growth trials were conducted to determine the effects of catfish starter (CS) supplemented with krill meal (KM) on growth, survival, and body composition of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatusfry. No significant improvement regarding growth was observed for fry fed ground krill meal (KMG) or unground krill meal (KMUG) compared to CS in Trial 1, nor for fry fed KMG for 2, 4, or 8 days in Trial 2. Percent survival was significantly reduced when fry were fed KMG and KMUG-supplemented diets in Trial 1 and KMG for 8 days in Trial 2. In both trials, no significant differences in indices of fry body composition were evident except for fluoride content. Catfish fry grown using KM-supplemented diets had significantly higher whole-body concentration of fluoride compared to fry fed CS diets suggesting that reduced survival was due to fluorosis. Results from these feeding trials indicate that there is no advantage in feeding channel catfish fry hatchery diets supplemented with KM and feeding such diets for periods longer than several days is likely to result in substantial inventory loss.