Advances in practical feed formulation and adoption for hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × E. lanceolatus♂) aquaculture

Abstract

Groupers, encompassing species in the subfamily Epinephelinae, family Serranidae, are of particular economic importance in Asian aquaculture. 1 The grouper aquaculture industry has experienced a recent trend towards increased production of hybrids, due to the improved growth and disease resistance of the hybrid compared with the parent species. 1,2 The predominantly farmed hybrid is between tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) females and giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) males, which we

Exploring the physiological plasticity of giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) to dietary sulfur amino acids and taurine to measure dietary requirements and essentiality

“…Giant grouper ( Epinephelus lanceolatus ), hereafter referred to as GG, is an economically important aquaculture species in Asia and increasingly popular in Australia due to its rapid growth, high value, and meat quality (Dennis 2020 ; Dennis et al 2020 ). Yet, the culture of this carnivorous and high-value species relies on trash fish and generic aquafeeds (Nankervis et al 2022 ; Rimmer and Glamuzina 2017 ). Aquafeeds, currently used for Epinephelus spp., range in protein content from 44 to 62% (Nankervis et al 2022 ) and often contain proteins of animal and plant origin that lack essential amino acids or are not readily accessible due to their low digestibility (Halver 2002 ; Kaushik and Seiliez 2010 ).…”

“…Yet, the culture of this carnivorous and high-value species relies on trash fish and generic aquafeeds (Nankervis et al 2022 ; Rimmer and Glamuzina 2017 ). Aquafeeds, currently used for Epinephelus spp., range in protein content from 44 to 62% (Nankervis et al 2022 ) and often contain proteins of animal and plant origin that lack essential amino acids or are not readily accessible due to their low digestibility (Halver 2002 ; Kaushik and Seiliez 2010 ). Anecdotal reports have recorded enlarged livers in GG fed generic marine aquafeed (Nankervis et al 2022 ), indicating nutritional imbalances.…”

“…Aquafeeds, currently used for Epinephelus spp., range in protein content from 44 to 62% (Nankervis et al 2022 ) and often contain proteins of animal and plant origin that lack essential amino acids or are not readily accessible due to their low digestibility (Halver 2002 ; Kaushik and Seiliez 2010 ). Anecdotal reports have recorded enlarged livers in GG fed generic marine aquafeed (Nankervis et al 2022 ), indicating nutritional imbalances. The histological implications of these occurrences are under-studied.…”

“…In juvenile hybrid grouper, Li et al ( 2020 ) quantified the requirement for Met at 14.5-g/kg diet at a constant Cys level of 6.9 g/kg. While this provides a starting point for quantifying requirements for GG, initial estimates indicate that amino acid requirements for GG vary from hybrid grouper (Nankervis et al 2022 ) and that effective formulation of feeds for the industry requires species-specific requirement values, expressed on a digestible nutrient basis. Further, a thorough evaluation of histological structures and biochemistry of Met-, Cys-, and Tau-active tissues may provide insight into the interactions between fish nutrition and tissue physiology, the ramifications of which control tissue function, nutrient requirements, and, ultimately, fish growth responses.…”

Effect of Different Dietary Zinc Sources on Growth, Element Deposition, Antioxidation, Lipid Metabolism, and Related Gene Expression in Hybrid Grouper (♀ Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × ♂ E. lanceolatus)

“…China is one of the major grouper producer countries and has a huge breeding potential on a commercial scale [33]. However, due to changes in body size and nutritional requirements at different times, the implementation of formula feed is limited [34]. The feed made from Chinese herbs has been shown to be advantageous to aquaculture animals [35,36]; however, there are only a few studies on the effects of Chinese herb extract on hybrid groupers.…”