Food intake and growth in the blue-spotted trevally, Caranx bucculentus Alleyne and Macleay 1877, with reference to predation on penaeid prawns |
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| Authors: | R L Smith J P Salini S J M Blaber |
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| Institution: | Institute of Marine Science and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK 99775 U.S.A.;CSIRO Division of Fisheries, Marine Laboratories, Box 120, Cleveland, Qld. 4163, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Blue-spotted trevally, Caranx bucculentus , were fed different rations of pilchard and prawn in order to investigate feeding and growth relationships. Maintenance rations at 25.5° C amounted to 3.7% B.W. day?1 and 2.7% B.W. day?1 for prawns and pilchards, respectively. Additional feeding experiments at 28.9° C yielded a maintenance ration of prawns of 3.8% B.W. day?1, suggesting there is very little if any temperature effect on the feeding-growth relationship over the range studied. Fish fed twice or more each day consumed about 7.3 ± 1.4% B.W. day?1.
Given the biomass of this trevally in Albatross Bay, Gulf of Carpentaria, and the contribution of prawns to its diet, we estimate consumption of commercial prawns at 25 ± 5 g.ha?1 day?1 or 11 g kg?1 day?1. |
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| Keywords: | Caranx Carangidae Penaeus Penaeidae predation feeding growth |
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