Changes in the taurine content during the early growth stages of artificially produced yellowtail compared with wild fish

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to investigate the changes in taurine content during the development of artificially produced yellowtail Seriola quinqeradiata larvae and juveniles. Besides this, the taurine content of wild caught and reared yellowtail was compared. We analyzed the free amino acids content in larvae and juveniles produced at the Goto Station of Japan Sea-Farming Association and Nagasaki Prefecture Institute of Fisheries (TL, 4.2-186.8 mm) and juveniles caught from the coastal area of Nagasaki Prefecture (TL, 29.7-179.0 mm). The content of most free amino acids such as lysine, Ieucine, isoleucine, alanine decreased between the fertilized egg stage and open-mouth stage, with the exception of taurine in artificially reared fish. The taurine content in the whole body of the artificially reared larvae decreased rapidly during the rotifer feeding. The amount of taurine in the wild fish was higher compared to the cultured fish. These results reveal that taurine has an important role compared to other free amino acids, suggesting live food and diet used for yellowtail culture would not satisfy the taurine requirement of yellowtail.