Growth, daily ration, and gastric evacuation rates of milkfish (Chanos chanos) fed supplemental diet and natural food

Growth, daily ration, and gastric evacuation rates of milkfish ( Chanos chanos ) that fed on natural food and supplement diet were evaluated. Milkfish fingerlings (5.5g) were stocked at 1.5 fish/m² in ten 12 m² concrete tanks layered with 15-cm thick earthen bottoms. All tanks were regularly fertilized (16–20–0 and chicken manure) to maintain natural food production; 4 of the tanks additionally received a supplemental diet containing 34.3% protein and 4290 kcal/kg gross energy. Estimates or daily ration (based on dry weight of stomach contents) were calculated using the E lliot and P erson (1978) and E ggers 1977) models. Gastric evacuation rate was lower in fish that fed on natural food (1.57) compared to fish fed a supplemental diet (1.79). Consequently, the lower rate resulted in lower food intake and slower fish growth. When fish were provided a high quality supplemental diet, daily rations for fingerlings (35 g) to marketable size (116 g) ranged approximately from 0.60 to 19.68 kcal/fish/day. The deviation in daily ration (kcal/fish/day) from the above estimates may indicate the insufficient quantity of dietary energy taken by fish from natural food alone, which could be provided by supplemental diet.     

东、黄海鳀鱼的胃排空率及其温度影响

在室内受控条件下,以卤虫幼体为饵料,测定了不同温度下鳀鱼的胃排空率,并比较了线性、指数和平方根3种常用数学模型对其排空曲线的拟合程度.统计结果表明,3种数学模型均可较好地描述鳀鱼的胃排空曲线 (df =10, r2=0.7820～0.9629, P<0.01),综合评价结果则进一步表明,指数模型最适于定量描述其胃排空曲线,平方根模型次之,直线模型较差.在研究温度范围内,鳀鱼的胃排空率随着温度的升高而加速增大,二者之间的定量关系可以用指数函数Rt=0.0354e0.0766T (R2=0.9770)加以定量描述.     

Gastric evacuation of mixed stomach contents in predatory gadoids: an expanded application of the square root model to estimate food rations

A mechanistic gastric evacuation model of mixed stomach contents was established. Its simple generic nature should prove useful for studying predator‐prey interactions in fish communities. Only prey lengths were required as additional input. Surface dependent digestive processes were considered to act on equal fractions of individual prey‐cylinder surfaces. Primary and interactive effects of size, energy density and resistance to digestion of individual prey in a stomach were described by the model. Model predictions of results from experiments on gastric evacuation of meals composed of different prey types demonstrated the capability of this model, as opposed to previously applied model principles, to predict evacuation of mixed stomach contents involving the three above‐mentioned prey characteristics. The study furthermore illustrated that estimates of food ration might be severely biased by using improperly formulated effects of prey characters on gastric evacuation, and demonstrated that the new model holds the potential to predict food ration and diet composition for wild populations of predatory fishes.     

Gastric evacuation in plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L.: effects of temperature and fish size

Using a volume dependent model of gastric evacuation, the effects of temperature and fish size were examined. Rates of gastric evacuation were unaffected by fish size but increased with increasing temperature. The relationship between maximum stomach volume and fish weight was found to be a linear one. From information of gastric evacuation rates and stomach volume, the amount of food evacuated from the stomach per day was calculated for different size classes of fish. Daily food evacuation increased in proportion to body weight to the power 0·68. Assuming these methods give a crude estimate of daily food intake, the results are discussed in relation to published work on food intake in fishes.     

Diet, gastric evacuation rates and food consumption in a stunted population of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus L., in Takvatn, northern Norway

Diet and food consumption of a stunted population of Arctic charr in Takvatn, northern Norway, was studied throughout the ice-free season. Chironomid pupae dominated the diet in June, July and August, while zooplankton and three-spined sticklebacks dominated in September and October. Estimates of gastric evacuation rates were obtained from laboratory experiments with wild-caught, acclimated charr, and these estimates were used for in situ estimation of food consumption from weights of stomach contents. The daily food consumption was greatest in July, after which it decreased markedly towards autumn. The estimated food intake rates were low, especially in September and October. The food supply appears to be restricted, which is probably the main reason why the charr in Takvaln exhibit stunted growth.     

Diel variation in feeding rate and prey composition of herring and mackerel in the southern Gulf of St Lawrence

Diel feeding patterns of herring Clupea harengus and mackerel Scomber scombrus in the southern Gulf of St Lawrence were examined based on samples obtained by midwater trawling between 19 and 26 June 2001. Within 3 h time periods, stomach contents tended to be more similar between fish from the same tow than between fish from different tows. Thus, in contrast to previous diet studies, which have used individual fish stomachs as independent observations, tow was used as the experimental unit in statistical analyses in this study. Diel patterns in stomach fullness were identified using generalized additive models. Two peaks in stomach fullness occurred for herring, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Mackerel showed an increase in feeding intensity throughout the day with a peak in mid‐afternoon. The diel changes in stomach contents suggested rapid gastric evacuation rates for both species, especially for herring. The estimate of the instantaneous evacuation rate for herring was twice that for mackerel. Calanus copepods (mainly C. hyperboreus ), fishes (mainly capelin Mallotus villosus ) and euphausiids were the main prey found in the stomachs of both species. Calanus copepods dominated the diet of herring regardless of time period. They also dominated the diet of mackerel during the late afternoon, evening and night while fishes and euphausiids were dominant during the morning and early afternoon. These diel patterns emphasize the need for sampling throughout the day and night in order to estimate ration and diet composition for bioenergetic and ecosystem models.     

Experimental trophic ecology of juvenile largemouth bass,Micropterus salmoides,and blue tilapia,Oreochromis aureus

Synopsis The potential for feeding competition between largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, and blue tilapia, Oreochromis areus, in Lake Fairfield, Texas was evaluated experimentally. Largemouth bass and blue tilapia were grown in cages alone and in combination with each other. The fish were allowed to feed on the natural food within the lake. Largemouth bass grown in combination with blue tilapia were significantly shorter and weighed less than largemouth bass grown alone. Blue tilapia grown in combination with largemouth bass were statistically significantly longer and heavier than blue tilapia grown alone. Largemouth bass grown alone had diets (volume and number of food items) significantly different than the largemouth bass grown with the blue tilapia. Largemouth bass fed primarily on chironomid larvae and pupae, and odonates, whereas blue tilapia consumed vegetable matter, detritus, and chironomid larvae. Length and weight differences between large-mouth bass grown alone and in combination with blue tilapia, in conjunction with the largemouth bass diet shift, support the theory that these two species compete for food resources.     

Food limitation in a nursery area: estimates of daily ration in juvenile scalloped hammerheads, Sphyrna lewini (Griffith and Smith, 1834) in Kāne'ohe Bay, ō'ahu, Hawai'i

Gastric evacuation and daily ration were studied in juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks in Kāne'ohe Bay in order to better understand their ecology and role as apex predators in the marine environment. Three major variables known to affect the rate of gastric evacuation were manipulated: meal size, prey species, and temperature. Rates of gastric evacuation were faster than have previously been measured for sharks. The time for 80% of the meal weight (dry) to be evacuated ranged from 5.4 to 22.1 h. Daily ration was estimated using two different methods based on gastric evacuation rates and stomach content data. Estimates ranged from 2.12% to 3.54% of the body weight, which is relatively high compared to other elasmobranchs, but lower than estimates of maintenance ration for juvenile scalloped hammerheads. Data available for diet and growth of juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks in Kāne'ohe Bay as well as data for their prey species suggest that these sharks may be surviving much of the time at consumption levels below maintenance ration.     

Diel feeding chronology, gastric evacuation and estimated daily ration of juvenile coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum), in the coastal marine environment

The feeding periodicity of juvenile coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch , was examined from stomach collections taken during five sampling periods in coastal waters off Oregon. Significant differences in stomach content weight were found between several consecutive 3-hour periods, with peak fullness occurring in early morning and around dusk. The rates of gastric evacuation of euphausiid meals were measured in the laboratory at two temperatures. The decline in stomach contents was best described by an exponential model: 90% evacuation of the wet weight contents required an estimated 28.4 and 18.1 h at 11.4 and 13.7° C, respectively. The method of Elliott & Persson was used to estimate a daily ration of 2.4 and 3.7% of the wet body weight at the two temperatures.     

Effect of experimental conditions on the stomach evacuation of Coregonus lavaretus L.

The gastric evacuation of juveniles of Coregonus lavaretus L. fed on living Daphnia pulicaria was investigated. Three successive stages of stomach evacuation were observed when one meal per day was given: (i) a lag phase between the end of food intake and the beginning of stomach evacuation, (ii) a linear reduction of stomach content, (iii) a long residence time for food relics in the stomach. The initial stomach content and the stomach evacuation time are correlated positively. The stomach content increased during feeding when three meals day ⁻¹ were provided and it decreased when no food was available. During the course of an experiment the highest stomach content found increased with increasing daly ration. Excess feeding resulted in a low stomach content similar to that found with rations about 30–50% of the maximum daily food intake. Therefore the daily food intake cannot be determined by the single parameter of stomach content alone. Identical initial stomach contents showed significantly higher stomach evacuation rates under three meals day⁻¹ conditions than under one meal day⁻¹ conditions.     

In situ determination of food daily ration in fish: review and field evaluation

Synopsis A literature review showed that numerous studies have dealt with the estimation of fish daily ration in the field. Comparisons of results from different studies are often difficult due to the use of different approaches and methods for parameter estimations. The objective of the present study was to compare the most commonly used approaches to estimate fish daily ration and to propose a standardized procedure for their estimation in the field. Comparisons were based on a field experiment specifically designed to investigate these questions and on data and theoretical considerations found in the literature. The results showed that (1) the gut fullness computed with entire digestive tract content is preferable to the stomach content only, supporting recent research done on other fish species; (2) it is important to consider the data distribution before estimating parameters; (3) estimates of experimental evacuation rates should be used rather than maximum evacuation rate for species showing no feeding periodicity; (4) it is necessary to exclude parasites from gut content in the computation of daily ration as they may significantly decrease daily ration estimates (by an average of 29.3% in this study); and (5) the Eggers (1977) model is as appropriate as, and less complex than, the Elliott & Persson (1978) model for estimating fish daily ration in the field, again supporting recent experiments done on other fish species.     

Gastric digestion and evacuation in whiting, Merlangius merlangus (L.)

Three meal sizes of sandeels were fed to whiting in order to monitor the evacuation of food out of the stomach. The stomach contents were sampled at intervals after feeding, using a stomach pump. In such experiments, the proportion of fish with empty stomachs tends to increase with time and, since stomach contents are limited to zero or positive values, the variance of the stomach contents becomes censored at zero. This tends to produce a curved relationship between mean stomach content and time, which gives the impression that evacuation rate slows down at low levels of stomach fullness. By taking account of censoring, it was shown that the evacuation curve generated for whiting was consistent with and could be generated from a linear model in which the rate of gastric evacuation exhibited by the fish was constant and independent of meal size, level of stomach fullness and time after feeding. The parameters of the linear model were estimated by maximum likelihood and then applied in a second model to predict the observed mean stomach content. The average gastric evacuation rate of whiting of mean weight 268 g at 10°C was 0.31 g h⁻¹.     

Changes in Diet and Food Consumption of Largemouth Bass Following Large-scale Hydrilla Reduction in Lake Seminole, Georgia

Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides Lacepède growth (in length) increased an average of 14% and bioenergetics modeling predicted a 38% increase in total annual food consumption following a large-scale reduction of hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata L.f. Royle in Spring Creek, a 2,343-ha embayment of Lake Seminole, Georgia. Coverage of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) declined from 76% to 22% in 1 year due to a drip-delivery fluridone treatment. In contrast, largemouth bass growth only increased an average of 4% and bioenegetics modeling predicted a 13% increase in total food consumption over the same time period in the Chattahoochee River embyament, where SAV coverage naturally declined from 26% to 15%. Diets were collected from a total of 4,409 largemouth bass over a 2.5-year period in the two embayments; the primary diet item (by weight) for largemouth bass in both embayments was sunfish (mostly Lepomis spp.). Diets before and after SAV reduction were generally similar for fish greater than stock-size (≥203 mm) in the Spring Creek arm; however, fewer invertebrates were consumed after SAV reduction. Low diet similarity was observed in smaller fish, caused by a decline in consumption of grass shrimp and sunfishes and an increase in use of damselflies, shiners Notropis spp., and topminnows Fundulus spp. after SAV reduction. Diets were similar between the same time periods for all sizes of fish in the Chattahoochee River arm. These results agreed with many laboratory results describing the effects of aquatic plant density on largemouth bass food consumption and growth, and demonstrated that increased predation efficiency resulting from decreased plant abundance was likely a stronger factor determining growth rates than any potential diet shift that may occur as a result in vegetation decline.     

Daily ration of adult perch, Perca fluviatilis L. during summer in Loch Leven, Scotland

Adult perch, Perca fluviatilis L., were sampled at 3-hourly intervals throughout 24-h periods from June-September 1971, and in June and August 1972. The wet weight of each major food component from the stomachs was expressed in parts per 10 000 of the fresh weight of the fish. From samples at capture, and others taken from caged fish at known time-intervals after capture, the rate of stomach evacuation was estimated. Food consumption between netting times was calculated as the increment between successive initial values of stomach contents, plus the amount evacuated in the interval. As the evacuation rate of caged fish was slower than that of free fish the estimates of food turnover are minimal ones. The perch were consuming 6.5 % of their wet body weight per day in June, and this ration had decreased to 3.2% by September.     

Food consumption of yellowfin tuna,Thunnus albacares, in Sri Lankan waters

Synopsis A total of 4181 stomachs of yellowfin tuna,Thunnus albacares (22–164 cm FL), mainly caught by gillnets in the period from July 1984 to June 1986 were analyzed. Food consumption of yellowfin tuna in nature was determined using the values of the average stomach content, incorporating laboratory measurements of gastric evacuation rates in a feeding model. The diet of yellowfin tuna around Sri Lanka comprised a variety of macro zooplanktonic and nektonic organisms. Juveniles < 39 cm FL, are planktivores. Tuna > 40 cm FL gradually increase their consumption of fishes with increasing size. Among fish speciesAuxis sp. are the most important. The daily food consumption of juvenile yellowfin tuna (22–59 cm FL) range from 1.8 g to 136.2 g, increasing to about 284.7 g to 551.9 g for the medium size tuna (60–99 cm FL). The adult tuna (100–>130 em FL) consume around 513 g to 538.8 g of prey per day. Daily ration estimates increase from 2.1% to 5.5% of body weight with increasing size up to 70 cm FL, beyond which it decreases. The predatory pressure of yellowfin tuna on commercially important fishes and other species is discussed.     

Feeding ecology and daily ration of the pelagic armorhead,Pseudopentaceros wheeleri,at Southeast Hancock Seamount

Synopsis The unusual life history of pelagic armorhead, Pseudopentaceros wheeleri, includes occupation of epipelagic subarctic and transitional waters of the northeast Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Alaska as subadults and subsequent recruitment to the southern Emperor and northern Hawaiian Ridge (SE-NHR) seamounts in the central North Pacific Ocean where they assume a demersal existence and begin maturation as adults. Feeding ecology and daily ration were examined in pelagic armorhead during field studies conducted at Southeast Hancock Seamont (29°48′ N,179°04′ E) in the SE-NHR seamounts. A total of 1133 stomachs collected during June-July 1985, January 1988, and July 1988 were examined for contents; only 19.7% contained food items. The diet consisted of pelagic tunicates and other micronektonic animals that are associated with the vertically migrating sonic scattering layer that is advected over the seamount from the adjacent oceanic environment. Peak feeding occurred in the early morning on migrating organisms likely trapped by the expanse of the seamount summit during the morning descent. Newly recruited armorhead had lower feeding rates than older, previously recruited fish. Estimates of daily ration for previously recruited armorhead were 1.17 g (0.26% of body weight) in the summer of 1985 and 12.87 g (2.86% of body weight) in the summer of 1988. Since estimated values for the evacuation coefficient and the duration of the daily feeding period did not differ between sampling periods, the increase in daily ration was due to an increase in feeding rate. The proportion of the diet composed of pelagic tunicates was also higher in 1988.     

Variations in piscivory of invasive largemouth bass <Emphasis Type="Italic">Micropterus salmoides</Emphasis> associated with pond environments

Introductions of non-native predatory fishes can be a major driver of aquatic biodiversity loss. The largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (L.) has been introduced throughout much of the world, thereafter negatively affecting native faunal communities owing to its predatory impact. To investigate the environmental factors affecting the predatory performance of invasive bass, we examined the stomach contents and habitat characteristics of bass in 15 irrigation farm ponds in northeastern Japan. The food habits of the bass populations differed among the studied ponds: the predominant prey items were fishes among bass in seven of the ponds, whereas aquatic invertebrates (mainly insects and zooplankton) were the predominant taxa in the diets of bass in the eight remaining ponds, with the onset of piscivory related to body size. The results of multivariate analysis indicated that the extent to which the bass consumed fish was positively associated with fish prey abundance and negatively associated with percentage of aquatic vegetation coverage. We suggest that the extent of aquatic vegetation coverage strongly influenced the predation efficiency of bass in the ponds. These findings might be employed to assess a pond ecosystem’s vulnerability to invasive largemouth bass and to reduce the predator’s impact on native fish species by improvements to the habitat.     

A study of the food and feeding of perch, Perca fluviatilis L., in Windermere

SUMMARY. Perch were sampled for their stomach contents at regular intervals throughout 24 h from June until October in 1973 and from February 1975 until January 1976. They were found to feed on benthic organisms from November until April, on benthos and plankton during May and June and on perch fry and zooplankton from July until October. Perch over a wide size range feed on similar prey. Fish showed great variability in the weight of their stomach contents. A method based on a points system was developed to estimate the weight of food in the stomach for a given weight of fish at a known time. A diel feeding pattern which varied with the season was apparent from these data. Rates of gastric evacuation were assumed to be exponential and were calculated from the drop in night-time stomach content weights when food intake was assumed to be zero. The rates ranged from 0.18 mg h⁻¹ at a mean water temperature of 11°C in May to 0.35 mg h⁻¹ at a mean water temperature of 17°C in July. Assuming that food consumption followed a linear rate of intake, the standard Bajkov method was considered an adequate model to calculate daily food consumption. Daily food consumption (mg dry weight) was calculated for 150 g perch for all months of the year (November to April and September and October being combined). A second series of values was calculated making corrections for the time spent in the fishing gears when food intake was zero but gastric evacuation continued. Daily food consumption figures for 150g male perch based on Winberg's hypotheses (1956) and growth data showed no significant differences from this second series of values, when both were expressed in energy terms. When certain assumptions have been tested, growth data and Winberg's equations together may be a suitable method for calculating an energy budget for the Windermere perch population.     

Effect of sampling interval and temperature on the accuracy of food consumption estimates from stomach contents

The effect of temperature and sampling interval on the accuracy of food consumption estimates based on stomach contents was studied using simulation. Three temporal patterns of feeding were considered (scattered throughout the day, one 5 h period or two 5 h periods) and gastric evacuation was modelled according to published values. Sampling intervals of 3 h gave reasonable food consumption estimates (2 to 19% error) at all temperatures. Comparably, sampling intervals as large as 12 h gave reasonable estimates of food consumption (1 to 20% error) when temperature was set to ≤10° C. At temperatures <5° C, even 24 h intervals (equivalent to one daily sampling) provided reasonable estimates of daily food consumption (2 to 19% error) for all but the highest gastric evacuation rate combined with one daily feeding period (47% error). The temperature effect on estimation error resulted from diminishing temporal fluctuations in stomach contents with slower gastric evacuation rates. It follows that sampling effort may be considerably minimized when estimating food consumption from stomach contents during periods with low temperatures such as the winter time experienced by temperate fishes.