Comparative evaluation of different diets on the growth performance and body composition of asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) in HDPE marine cages

Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) is farmed in marine cages in India and several other East Asian nations using low-value or trash fish. These fishes require time to collect and store, and their use is also tied to issues of sustainability in farming practices and environmental deterioration. As a result, commercial balanced formulated feeds are essential for the spread of large-scale seabass farming. In order to achieve this goal, a study was conducted to compare the efficacy of commercial feed (CF) to trash fish (TF) for the growth performance and body composition of Asian seabass (13.3±0.2 cm) reared in HDPE marine cages for 8 weeks. Seabass growth performance on commercial feed was superior to that of trash fish. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was much lower in fish fed commercial feed (3.1±0.2) than in trash fish (4.6±0.3). Fish reared on trash fish, on the other hand, had improved body fatty acid composition and lower feed costs. There were no significant differences in water quality parameters when CF or TF were used. Fish fed TF had higher moisture and ash contents, whereas fish fed CF had the higher whole-body crude lipid content and were significantly different (P<0.05). Palmitic acid, a major saturated fatty acid (SFA) accounting for approximately 24-36% of total fat was ligher in fish fed TF. Fish fed CF had significantly (P<0.05) higher C18:1n-9 and C18:2n-6 while fish fed TF had significantly (P<0.05) higher eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The CF feed formulation met the nutritional needs of seabass, and had adequate nutrients levels to maintain consistently higher performance and meat quality over TF, however, the cost (Rs.) of production with CF was significantly higher than TF diet.