FEEDING STIMULANT FOR JUVENILE WINTER FLOUNDERS

M. Fredette, J. Batt, J. Castell-2000

North American Journal of Aquaculture 62 (2): 157-160
Abstract:

Feeding stimulants, commonly amino acids, are incorporated into fish diets to enhance feed intake. Winter flounder Pleuronectes americanus is a finfish species new to aquaculture; determining the best feeding stimulant for this species will help the industry increase feed consumption and growth and reduce feed conversion rates (weight of food fed/weight gained). FinnStim, a commercial feeding stimulant, was tested. Over a single adaptation week and two experimental weeks, juvenile 1-year-old winter flounder were fed daily to satiation either the control diet (99% basal diet and 1% fish meal) or the experimental diet (99% basal and 1% FinnStim). Fish were weighed at the beginning and at the end of a 2-week experimental feeding period, and feed consumption was monitored daily. The FinnStim supplemented diet resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced feed consumption and growth rate compared with fish fed the control diet. A similar positive response to FinnStim was also found for feed efficiency (weight gained/weight of food consumed; P < 0.10) of winter flounder. The results suggest that FinnStim is an effective feeding stimulant for juvenile winter flounder at 1% supplementation level.

(1994 Marie-Victorin, Contrecoeur, Quebec J0L 1C0, Canada)

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