Effect of giant jellyfish <i>Nemopilema nomurai</i> as supplemental feed on threadsail filefish <i>Stephanolepis cirrhifer</i>

Abstract

We conducted a 30-day feeding experiment on threadsailˆleˆsh Stephanolepis cirrhifer to evaluate the e‹cacy of giant jellyˆsh Nemopilema nomurai on the growth and body composition of theˆleˆsh. Four treatments were prepared: starved (control, S), fed only jellyˆsh (J), fed only pellets (control, P), and fed both jellyˆsh and pellets (JP). Threadsailˆleˆsh consumed the giant jellyˆsh as much as 5.6 and 4.1 times their own body weight per day in the J and JP treatments, respectively. Fish in the S treatment had 68 mortality, whereas the J treatment had no mortality. Fish in the JP treatments showed signiˆcantly faster growth than those in the P treatment. The giant jellyˆsh contained a high ratio of n-6 highly unsaturated fatty acids, especially arachidonic acid as well as free amino acids, especially taurine. The high contents of these acids re‰ected those ofˆsh body composition. These

Efficacy of feeding tiger pufferTakifugu rubripeson moon jellyfish with respect to nutritional composition and behavioural traits

“…Utilization of jellyfish as a fish feed also solves problems associated with desalination and transport costs, when aquaculture farms are close to the sites of jellyfish blooms. Although moon jellyfish and giant jellyfish are composed of more than 970 g/kg fluid, on a dry‐mass basis, the jellyfish contain a higher proportion of polar lipids than is found in pellets, including: n −3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and n −6 HUFAs, especially arachidonic acid (ARA) (Miyajima‐Taga et al., ). In addition, glycine dominates the free amino acids (FAAs) of moon jellyfish and giant jellyfish followed by taurine.…”

“…At least 124 fish species are reported to feed on jellyfish in natural waters (Arai, ; Pauly, Graham, Libralato, Morissette, & Palomares, ); this is typical of members of the Monacanthidae family, including the threadsail filefish Stephanolepis cirrhifer and black scraper Thamnaconus modestus (Masuda, Yamashita, & Matsuyama, ). We have previously demonstrated the potential of jellyfish as a live feed for marine fish culture, highlighting that jellyfish can provide energy and improve fish body composition and stress response behaviour (Miyajima et al., ; Miyajima‐Taga, Masuda, Kurihara, Yamashita, & Takeuchi, , ). Utilization of jellyfish as a fish feed also solves problems associated with desalination and transport costs, when aquaculture farms are close to the sites of jellyfish blooms.…”

“…This was probably due to the high dietary content of n−3 HUFAs (Miyajima et al, 2011), which can decrease lipogenesis (Shikata & Shimeno, 1994). The cofeeding of threadsail filefish juveniles with giant jellyfish and pellets also enhanced growth; increased n−6 HUFAs composition, especially ARA; and FAA composition, particularly taurine, compared to those fed on pellets only during 30-day rearing periods (Miyajima-Taga et al, 2015). In contrast, the feeding of moon jellyfish for 108 day to juveniles of the red sea bream, Pagrus major, an opportunistic jellyfish feeder, did not affect growth or body composition except for slight increases in some phospholipids, but improved tilting tendency, an important antipredator behaviour, after tank-to-tank transport (Miyajima-Taga et al, 2014).…”