Dietary protein requirements of fish – a meta‐analysis

Abstract

There are hundreds of fish reared in aquaculture, but nutrient requirements of the different species are still scarcely studied. Dietary protein is usually one of the first nutrients to be evaluated when considering the nutritional requirements of a novel species for aquaculture. Data on dietary protein requirement are already available for a large number of species, and this study aims to review the available data, enhancing eventual differences due to species, feeding habits, fish size, rearing temperature and water salinity. Overall, dietary protein requirements in the different studies ranged between 24 and 70% of the diet, depending on species and life stanzas. Dietary protein requirements were directly related to fish trophic level and water salinity, and inversely related to rearing temperature. Dietary protein intake was linearly related to weight gain, while protein retention was not affected, averaging 187 g protein kg−1 weight gain. On average, fish require a protein intake of 624 g kg−1 weight gain and dietary protein retention efficiency is close to 32%.

Effects of dietary protein levels on growth performance, digestibility, anti‐oxidative responses and expressions of growth‐related genes in triploid rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss farmed in seawater

“…Ahmed and Ahmad (2020) recommended that freshwater‐farmed rainbow trout (initial weight: 1.56 ± 0.22 g) need 450–471 g/kg dietary protein for its optimal growth. Teles et al (2020) compared 7 studies on rainbow trout (initial weight: 0.4–26.6 g) and concluded that the dietary protein requirement was in 300–490 g/kg. The different proteins requirement in different studies is dependent on various in the water salinity, life stages, trial duration and protein sources (NRC, 2011; Teles et al, 2020).…”

“…Teles et al (2020) compared 7 studies on rainbow trout (initial weight: 0.4–26.6 g) and concluded that the dietary protein requirement was in 300–490 g/kg. The different proteins requirement in different studies is dependent on various in the water salinity, life stages, trial duration and protein sources (NRC, 2011; Teles et al, 2020). Furthermore, the ploidy of fish may also exert an important role in protein requirements.…”

Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture: A Laboratory and Hands-on Experimental Activity to Promote Environmental Sustainability Awareness and Value of Aquaculture Products

“…Despite this effort, intensive aquaculture production still releases high amounts of nutrients and organic wastes into the environment that can cause eutrophication of coastal areas and other aquatic systems (Sarà et al, 2018a). This is because only about 20-40% of the nitrogen (Oliva-Teles et al, 2020) and less than 50% of the energy intake (Bureau et al, 2002;Peres and Oliva-Teles, 2005) are retained by the species produced. The recognition of the significant environmental and social impact of intensive production increased the interest in alternative sustainable practices, such as integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) (Alexander et al, 2016a;Sarà et al, 2018b).…”

Aquicultura no século XXI: desenvolvimento econômico, meio ambiente e pesquisas

“…A proteína é o nutriente encontrado em maiores quantidades nas dietas para larvas (OLIVA-TELES et al, 2020) e, portanto, um número significativo de estudos tem sido direcionado para a caracterização da atividade enzimática das proteases (HOFER, 1982;FERNÁNDEZ et al 2001). A exigência deste nutriente para um crescimento máximo em larvas e juvenis de peixes teleósteos é quase duas vezes maior do que para animais adultos.…”

“…A exigência deste nutriente para um crescimento máximo em larvas e juvenis de peixes teleósteos é quase duas vezes maior do que para animais adultos. Apesar disto, a exigência dietética de proteina em peixes tem sido estimada para juvenis e animais na fase de engorda, e pouca informação encontra-se disponível para larvas (OLIVA-TELES et al, 2020).…”