Effect of feed deprivation on compensatory growth in juvenile rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus

Abstract

A feed-deprivation study was conducted for 9 weeks with four feeding regimes, estimating compensatory growth and proximate composition of rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus (56.0 ± 0.9 g). Feeding regimes included continuous feeding (control), feed-deprivation for 1 week (S1) in week 3, for 2 weeks (S2, weeks 2–3), and for 3 weeks (S3, weeks 1–3). Following 3 weeks, fish were on a continuous feeding regime for the remaining period. Complete compensation was achieved in S1 and S2 after resuming feeding for 3 weeks and 6 weeks. Although specific growth rate, feeding rate and feed efficiency in S3 were higher than in the control during the feeding resumption period, S3 fish did not catch up the body weight of control fish by the end of the experiment. At the end of the feed-deprivation period, the ratio of lipid to lean body mass and the levels of protein, lipid, and energy in S1, S2 and S3 were lower than those in the control. After feeding resumption for 6 weeks, protein and lipid contents in S3 were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those in the control. Rock bream with single-phase feed-deprivation for 1–2 weeks could exhibit full compensatory growth after feeding resumption for 3–6 weeks under our experimental conditions.