Potential of carapeba, Eugerres brasilianus, for culture

Abstract

The Eugerres brasilianus is a commercial species appreciated in markets in the Northeastern region of Brazil . This study had as objective to evaluate and get to know the feed diet, reproductive period and management of carapeba fish in tanks in a recirculation system for intensive raising. The fish were caught with a gill net at two different places near the mouth of the Sao Francisco River. The stomach content was analyzed according to the occurrence frequency method, applying on it the Important Index of relative food, evaluating and calculating the degree of the stomach repletion. The reproductive period was established by determining the gonadosomatic indexes and gonad maturation stages. The behavior and management of the fish were observed in captivity being submitted to artificial diets in cultivation tanks. The striped carapeba feeds around dusk, having as its main feedings: Crustacea Amphipoda, Insecta Chironomidea and Crustacea Tanaidacea. The spawning happened at different moments from February to March and from July to September. The morphological differences between males and females, especially in the urogenital papilla, are the average standard length and color. In confinement, the the best fish density was from seven to eight fish/m3, showing a good indexes of centesimal composition, adapting well to the supplied diet.