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Assessment of Prerelease Diet Regimes on Growth of Juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon
Author(s) -
Markin Erin L.,
Lazur Andrew,
Hengst Angie
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
north american journal of aquaculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.432
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1548-8454
pISSN - 1522-2055
DOI - 10.1577/a09-053.1
Subject(s) - biology , stocking , juvenile , sturgeon , acipenser , fishery , weaning , zoology , lake sturgeon , aquaculture , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology
To determine whether the growth rates of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus would be improved if the fish were weaned to natural food before being released into a simulated natural environment, 60 sturgeon from the 2006 and 2007 year‐classes (ages 2 and 1, respectively) were subjected to two prerelease diet regimes ( n = 30 per treatment, 120 total). Each year‐class was divided into two groups, a control group that was fed a commercial diet for 10 d until stocking into a 0.2‐ha earthen pond in June 2008 and a treatment group that was weaned to natural food over a 10‐d period before stocking. Final sampling (84 d poststocking) showed that year‐class had an effect on the specific growth rate (% weight gain/d) but that treatment did not. The survival rates were 77% and 80% among the controls from the 2007 and 2006 year‐classes and 87% and 90% among the treatment fish. This study shows that weaning to natural food before release into a natural environment does not significantly affect the specific growth or survival rates of Atlantic sturgeon.