GROWTH OF JUVENILES OF THE FAT SNOOK, Centropomus parallelus, IN RESPONSE TO DIETARY LIPID, ENERGY AND PROTEIN

This study evaluated the growth of fat snook Centropomus parallelus in response to the dietary total lipids, gross energy (GE) and crude protein (CP) content. In the 1st experiment, five isonitrogenous diets with 541.7 ± 2.4 g kg-1 CP varied their lipid content in 113, 151, 160, 189 and 200 g kg-1 and GE in 18.8, 19.4, 20.4, 21.2 and 22.2 MJ kg-1, respectively. A total of 300 fish with 6.5 ± 2.4 g were stocked in 30 tanks of 1 m3 under 10 fish m-³ and reared for 96 days. There were no differences in fish final body weight (38.2 ± 12.5 g), daily weight gain (DWG, 0.35 ± 0.04 g day-1) and specific growth rate (SGR, 1.92 ± 0.11 day-1) among dietary treatments. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was 1.76 ± 0.17 with a protein efficiency ratio of 1.06 ± 0.10. The viscerosomatic (VSI) and visceral fat indices (VFI) raised significantly with an increase in the dietary lipid while the hepatosomatic index (HSI) was unaffected. There was a significant reduction in feed intake as the dietary lipid content reached 189 g kg-1. In a 2nd study, five isolipidic diets (114.4 ± 1.9 g kg-1 lipids) with decreasing levels of CP and GE of 578, 535, 505, 465, and 430 g kg-1 and 20.5, 19.9, 19.4, 18.9, and 18.1 MJ kg-1, respectively, were evaluated. A total of 1,450 fish of 5.8 ± 2.1 g were reared in 30 tanks of 5.8 m³ under 10 fish m-3 for 93 days. Final survival reached 93.5 ± 5.5%. Fish DWG (0.27 ± 0.05 g day-1) and SGR (1.78 ± 0.11 % day-1) did not vary in response to dietary CP. Final body weight significantly reduced while HSI increased in fish fed the 430 g kg-1CP diet compared with fish fed the 578 g kg-1 CP diet. Results of this work indicated that fish between 5.8 g and 40.8 g wet body weight can maximize growth when fed diets containing 113.2 g kg-1 lipids, 540.5 g kg-1 CP and a 34.7 MJ kg-1 energy to protein ratio. Keywords: Centropomus parallelus, fat snook, protein, lipid, energy.

Induced Spawning of the Fat Snook, Centropomus parallelus Poey, 1860 (Perciformes: Centropomidae), via the Application of the Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH)

The fat snook (Centropomus parallelus), a catadromous species highly valued for human consumption, is widely distributed along the Atlantic coast of the American continent, from the United States to Brazil. In Mexico, it is common in the waters off the coastal states of the Gulf of Mexico, particularly Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco and Campeche. As it is important to ensure maturation and reproduction during cultivation under controlled conditions, given that this is inhibited in captivity, the spawning of the Centropomus parallelus was induced in the present study using a dose of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Advanced gonad maturity was observed, while two females in a vitellogenic state reached final maturation with the application of a 50 μg/kg dose of the hormone and the male subjects failed to present spermiation under the application of the same dose.

Performance of fat snook juveniles reared at different temperatures

We aimed at evaluating the effects of different water temperatures on the zootechnical performance of fat snook. The experiment lasted for 60 days, which was conducted in water recirculation systems, and was randomly designed with three treatments and three replicates each, corresponding to three water temperatures (25, 28 and 31°C). A total of 225 fat snook juveniles with a mean weight of 6.45 ± 0.58 g were used, which were fed daily until apparent satiety. Zootechnical parameters were assessed and feeding rates were registered for each tested temperature. Survival rates varied from 96 to 100% among treatments. Higher values of standard and total length, and weight gain were found in 28 and 31°C (p < 0.05). With regard to final weight, final biomass, feed conversion and specific growth rate, no significant differences were observed (p > 0.05). Feeding rates did not differ among evaluated temperatures. The results show that the used temperatures did not negatively affect zootechnical performance of fat snook juveniles.

Effects of manganese on fat snook Centropomus parallelus (Carangaria: Centropomidae) exposed to different temperatures

ABSTRACT This study evaluates the effects of exposure to manganese (Mn2+) for 96 hours at two different temperatures (24 and 27°C) on juveniles of Centropomus parallelus through the activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT), micronuclei test (MN) and comet assay. The GST activity did not show any significant difference between the groups exposed to Mn2+ and the respective control groups; in contrast, a major increase in the CAT activity was observed at 27°C in the group exposed to Mn2+ compared to the control group. The genotoxic analyses showed that in all animals exposed to Mn2+, the number of red cells with micronuclei increased significantly compared to the respective control groups. There was also a significant increase in the incidence of DNA damage in the groups exposed to Mn2+. At a temperature of 24ºC, animals exposed to Mn2+ had more DNA damage than those at 27°C. It is likely that the increase in temperature can also induce oxidative stress. Thus, we conclude that manganese is toxic to the fat snook juveniles, causing genotoxic damage, and when associated with an increase in temperature, manganese can also provoke an increase in oxidative stress.