Fish Nutrition
and Feeding
LaDon Swann
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium
Auburn University
Carcass Characteristics of
Various Food Animals
Characteristic of Carcass
Source Dress Out Refuse Lean Fat Food Energy
(%) (%) (%) (%) (kcal/100 g of
edible tissue)
Channel Catfish 60 14 81 5 112
Beef 61 15 60 25 147
Pork 72 21 54 26 147
Chicken 72 30 65 9 115
Nutritional Comparisons of
Various Proteins
Nutrient Requirements
• Energy requirements are lower
for fish.
• Fish require some lipids such as
omega-3’s that warm-blooded animals
do not.
• Fish can absorb some minerals
from water through the gills.
• Most fish can’t synthesize ascorbic
acid (Vitamin C).
Fish Diversity
• Because there are so many fish
species, extreme variation in fish
digestive systems exist among
the families.
Types of GI Tract
• Herbivores
– small stomachs and long intestine
• tilapia
• carp (stomach is 3X body length)
• Omnivores
– moderate size stomach and intestine
• catfish
• Carnivores
– large stomach and short intestine
• trout
• striped bass
Terms
• Bioenergetics: Study of the
balance between energy intake
in the form of food and the
energy utilization by animals
• 1 Calorie: energy required to
raise 1 g of water 1 C
• Kilocalorie (kcal): 1,000 calories
• Mega Kilocalorie: 10,000 calories
More Terms
• Intake Energy (IE): gross energy content of
food source
• Digestible Energy (DI): difference between
gross energy and energy available to
animals
• Fecal Energy (FE): energy lost through
feces
• Urine Energy (UE): energy lost through
urine
• Gill Energy (ZI): energy lost through the
gills
Even More Terms
• Metabolizable Energy (ME): difference
between DE and energy lost through the
FE + UE + ZI
• Heat Increment (HI): rise in energy
expenditure associated with the
assimilation of ingested food
• Maintenance Energy: voluntary activity
plus basal metabolism
– Feeds are based on satisfying maintenance
energy PLUS enough nutrition for growth
Gross Energy Values
• Carbohydrates (Glucose)
– 3.77 kcal/g
• Proteins (Casein)
– 5.84 kcal/g
• Fat (Soybean oil)
– 9.28 kcal/g
Digestible Energy
Feedstuff DE/IE ME/DE
Anchovy Meal 0.91 0.94
Soybean Meal 0.79 0.94
Wheat middlings 0.40 0.91
Conversion Efficiency
• Fish require less energy for protein
synthesis.
– catfish, 0.84 g gain/g food consumed
– chickens, 0.48 g gain/g food consumed
– Beef, 0.13 g gain/g food consumed
• Fish are better at assimilating high
protein diets.
• Fish poorly utilize carbohydrates for
energy.
Conversion Efficiency
• Lower energy cost for protein gain
– Fish 47 g/MKcal ME
– Chicken 23 g/MKcal ME
– Beef 6 g/MKcal ME
• Protein fed to protein gain is similar
among fish, birds, and mammals
– Fish, 0.36 g protein gain/g protein fed
– Chicken, 0.33 g protein gain/g protein fed
– Beef, 0.15 g protein gain/g protein fed
Fate of Nitrogen and
Phosphorus in Feed
Retained in Tissues Food
30% N 100% N
32% P 100% P
Solids Effluent Dissolved
13% N 70% N 87% N
60-90% P 68% P 10-40% P
Comparison of Feed and Dietary
Protein and Energy Among
Common Livestock
Feed Composition Efficiency
P Energy ME- Wt. Protein Protein gain/
(%) (kcal ME/g) protein Gain/g of gain/g Mkcal ME
Animal ratio diet protein consumed (g)
(kcal/g) consumed
Channel
Catfish 32 2.7 8.5 0.84 0.36 47
Broiler
Chicken 18 2.8 16 0.48 0.33 23
Beef
Cattle 11 2.6 24 0.13 0.15 6
Bioenergetics
• Digestible Energy (DE)
% DE = IE - FE
IE
• Metabolizable Energy (ME)
IE – (FE - UI -
% ME =
ZI)
– IE
Approximately 85% of nitrogenous wastes pass through
gills
Heat Increment
• Heat Increment (HI) of ME is 3-5% in
fish vs. up to 30% in mammals.
• Lower HI is due to the ammonia
excretion rather than urea or uric
acid.
– 1 ATP / N in Ammonia
– 4 ATP / molecule of Urea (2 Nitrogen)
– 10 ATP/4 N in Uric acid
Fish Have Lower
Maintenance Requirement
• Lower Maintenance Energy
– Rainbow Trout
• Maintenance Energy = 57kcal/kg bwt
to the 0.63 power
– Mammals
• Maintenance Energy = 70-83 kcal/kg
bwt to the 0.75 power
Why Lower Energy
Requirement?
• Don’t have to maintain body
temperature (HI)
• Less energy to maintain position
• Lose less energy in protein
catabolism and excretion of
nitrogen
Carbohydrates
• Fish have poor control over
glucose levels.
– Following glucose ingestion, blood
glucose levels rise rapidly, but may
take hours to decrease.
– Turnover of glucose in trout is 10X
slower than in rats.
Proteins Requirements
• Fingerlings require higher
protein than finished fish.
– 3 g cc (27%) required 4X more than
250 g cc (38%)
– based on a diet low in energy
– high energy diet: consumption
decreased and 27% wasn’t enough
Protein and Digestible Energy
Requirements by Sizes of Channel
Catfish for Protein Synthesis
Size Protein DE DE/Protein ratio
(g) (g/100 g fish /day) (kcal/100 g (kcal/g)
fish/day)
3 1.64 16.8 10.2
10 1.11 11.4 10.3
56 0.79 9.0 11.4
198 0.52 6.1 11.7
266 0.43 5.0 11.6
Catfish Feed
(Floating)
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude protein not less than 32.0%
Crude fat not less than 3.5%
Crude fiber not more than 7.0%
Ingredients
Soybean meal, ground yellow corn, fish meal, brewers' dried yeast,
wheat middlings, animal fat preserved with BHA, vitamin A
supplement, vitamin B supplement, D-activated animal sterol (source
of vitamin D ), DL-methionine, calcium pantothenate, folic acid,
niacin supplement, riboflavin supplement, menadione sodium
bisulfite (source of vitamin K activity), ascorbic acid, salt, calcium
carbonate, ferrous carbonate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate,
copper sulfate, cobalt carbonate, zinc sulfate.
Feed Formulation
• Cost of ingredients
• Nutrient content of ingredients
• Nutrient requirements
• Nutrient availability
• Min.-Max. restrictions of
ingredients
Typical Catfish Diet
Containing Fishmeal
• Menhaden fishmeal 8.0
• Soybean meal (48% P) 48.2
• Corn (ground) 29.2
• Rice bran or wheat 10.0
• Dicalcium phosphate 1.0
• Organic binder 1.5
• Fat (sprayed) 0.05
• Trace minerals 0.05
• Vitamin mix 0.05
• Ascorbic acid 0.038
Types of Fish Feed
• Live
– Algae
– Zooplankton
– By-catch/trash fish
• Formulated
– Floating
– Sinking
– Mixed
Sinking
Extruded
(Floating)
Feeding Rates
• Animals must be fed often
enough to satisfy
maintenance requirements
plus planned growth.
• Feeding methods
– Percent Body Weight
• Percent to feed: range from
1-10% per day
• Growth Rate
• Biomass to feed
– Satiation Feeding
• Feed as much as the animals
will eat in 15-30 minutes
Feeding Frequency
• Types of GI Tracts
– Herbivores => Omnivores => Carnivores
• Size of Animal
– Larvae => Juveniles => Adults =>
Broodstock
• Frequency
– 1-10 times per day
