Increased Growth Rate in Atlantic Salmon Parr (Salmo salar) by Using a Two-Coloured Diet

Abstract

Fishes hunting by sight are known to pay a cost of confusion when faced with high densities of uniform food particles. Factors such as swarm size, density, and visual uniformity increase confusion. Therefore, it may be profitable in pisciculture to introduce food particles in low densities or to reduce the uniformity and density of each type of feed pellet. This was tested by feeding Atlantic salmon parr (Salmo salar) brown pellets, yellow pellets, or a mixed diet. Mean growth rates were significantly higher for those fish fed a mixed diet. Of the smaller fish in all groups, those in the mixed diet group showed the highest weight/length ratio. We suggest that small individuals have to pay more attention to conspecifics than do large ones, and thus tolerate less confusion when feeding. Larger individuals, tolerating higher confusion costs, achieve higher feeding rates in high densities of uniform feed pellets.