Utilization of Poultry By-Product Meal in a Diet for Red Sea Bream Pagrus major

Abstract

The utilization of poultry by-product meal (PBM) as a substitute for fish meal (FM) in red sea bream Pagrus major diet was evaluated with yearlings and juveniles. Yearling fish weighing 280g on average, and juvenile fish weighing 54g on average were fed diets containing 0-59% PBM (replacing 0-100% of FM) for 232 days and 60 days, respectively. In yearling fish, the growth perfomance and feed conversion of fish fed diets containing up to 59% PBM were superior or similar to the control fish fed a PBM-free diet. In juvenile fish, the growth performance of fish fed diets containing up to 41% PBM was similar to that of the control fish, but that in fish fed diets containing more than 53% PBM was lower. Feed conversion was similar or slightly decreased by dietary inclusion of up to 41% PBM, but it was inferior in diets with more than 53% PBM. These results indicate that FM in red sea bream diet could be completely replaced by the inclusion of 59% PBM in yearling fish, and could be replaced up to 70% by the inclusion of 41% PBM in juvenile fish, without supplementation of essential amino acids.