Developments in the nutrition of Menidia estor Jordan 1880

Abstract

The Mexican silverside, Menidia estor, is a species with great regional importance and with very high prices in local markets. Unfortunately, due to high ¢sheries pressure, environmental degradation and pollution, the species has become endangered. Recently, there has been much progress in the biotechnology of this species, aimed at its culture, and the present paper describes the advances in feeding and nutrition of those important ¢sh. M. estor is a stomachless, zooplantophagous ¢sh, which also occasionally feeds on small ¢sh and crustaceans in the adult stage. Studies on the digestive enzymatic activities show high proteolytic capacity and a late or di¡erent model of digestive maturation from that described for marine stomach ¢sh. Nutritional studies on M. estor have shown that juveniles have dietary requirements of about 400 g kg À1 protein and 80 mg kg À1 vitamin C. The upper level of dietary carbohydrate for good growth and survival for juveniles is about 150 g kg À1 . Based on the high docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content in £esh when fed on diets low in DHA, it is believed that the species has the capacity to biosynthetize 420-carbon fatty acids from 18-carbon fatty acids. The high levels of DHA in £esh makes this ¢sh a very signi¢cant potential component of human nutrition. Using these ¢ndings the ¢rst practical diets for commercial culture of the species have been developed.Keywords: Menidia estor, nutritional requirements, culture Recently, much e¡ort has been invested in development of the culture of this species and current advances in the biology and culture of M. estor were summarized by Mart|¤ nez-Palacios, Morte,

Effect of salinity on the biosynthesis of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in silverside Chirostoma estor

“…The species is now endangered because of a range of factors including over-fishing, environmental degradation of the lake, and introduction of exotic species (Martínez-Palacios et al 2008). However, silverside is a species with high potential for aquaculture commanding a good price in regional markets ($40-80 USD kg -1 ) (Martínez- Palacios et al 2008). Recently, there have been efforts to preserve the species through aquaculture techniques (Martínez-Palacios et al 2002, 2003, 2006.…”

“…The species, locally known as ''pez blanco'', has greatly influenced the cultural environment and economy of the native people of the region. The species is now endangered because of a range of factors including over-fishing, environmental degradation of the lake, and introduction of exotic species (Martínez-Palacios et al 2008). However, silverside is a species with high potential for aquaculture commanding a good price in regional markets ($40-80 USD kg -1 ) (Martínez- Palacios et al 2008).…”

“…Chirostoma estor is also considered to be a carnivorous species, and so their essential fatty acid (EFA) requirements were expected to be more similar to that of a marine carnivorous species than that of a typical freshwater fish (Martínez-Palacios et al 2008). It has been reported that most freshwater fish studied, in contrast to the marine species studied, have the ability to elongate and desaturate 18-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (18:2n-6, linoleic acid/ LOA and 18:3n-3 a-linolenic acid/ALA) to long-chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) of 20 carbons (20:4n-6, arachidonic acid/ARA and 20:5n-3, eicosapentanoic acid/ EPA) and 22 carbons (22:6n-3, docosahexaenoic acid/ DHA) (Tocher 2010).…”

Diversification of substrate specificities in teleostei Fads2: characterization of Δ4 and Δ6Δ5 desaturases of Chirostoma estor

“…Pike silverside Chirostoma estor (previously Menidia estor ) from Lake Pátzcuaro is a highly valued freshwater fi sh in Mexico (36)(37)(38)(39). Although C. estor is a freshwater species, it has a common ancestry with marine atherinopsids ( 40 ) and shares many biological and physiological characteristics of marine species ( 41 ).…”

A complete chitinolytic system in the atherinopsid pike silverside Chirostoma estor: gene expression and activities

“…Overfishing and pollution of the lake, however, have markedly decreased the population of C . estor , such that farming of the species has become necessary in order to avoid its collapse (Martínez‐Palacios et al , ). Ad hoc balanced diets are essential for fish cultures and the development of an adequate diet has been supported by studies on the digestive biochemistry (Kolkovski, ; Cahu et al , ; Zambonino Infante & Cahu, ) of C .…”