Trials of rabbitfish Siganus rivulatus production in floating cages in the Red Sea

Abstract

Three trials were conducted on an important local fish species the Rabbitfish Siganus rivulatus in the Red Sea at the Fish Farming Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The first trial was to investigate the production of this species in three densities (80, 100 and 120/ m³). In the second trial S. rivulatus was reared in two different sets of floating cage sizes (small of 10m³ and large of 60m³). The last trial was carried out to determine the suitable feeding rate (7.5% and 15% of body weight) of a locally formulated feed. Results of the first trial showed no significant difference in the final weight and survival rates at the three stocking rates of S. rivulatus. Correlation analysis showed a negative influence of increasing stocking density on growth and survival. However, for the second and the third trials; a highly significant difference (P<0.05) was observed between feeding rates and cage sizes favoring the lower feeding rate of 7.5% and the smaller cages of (10m³) respectively.