Larval Fish Nutrition

Nutrition is particularly important in the healthy development of fish during their early-life stages. Understanding the unique nutritional needs of larval fish can improve the efficiency and quality of fish reared in a culture setting. Larval Fish Nutrition comprehensively explores the nutritional requirements, developmental physiology, and feeding and weaning strategies that will allow aquaculture researchers and professionals to develop and implement improved culture practices.

Larval Fish Nutrition is logically divided into three sections. The first section looks at the role of specific nutrient requirements in the healthy digestive development of fish. The second section looks at the impacts if nutritional physiology on fish through several early-life stages. The final section looks at feeding behaviors and the benefits and drawbacks to both live feed and microparticulate diets in developing fish.

Written by a team of leading global researchers, Larval Fish Nutrition will be an indispensible resource for aquaculture researchers, professionals, and advanced students.

Key Features:

• Reviews the latest research on larval fish nutritional requirements, developmental physiology, and feeding and weaning strategies
• Extensively covers nutritional needs of various early-life stages in fish development
• Weighs the benefits and drawbacks to both live feeds and microparticulate diets
• Written by a global team of experts in fish nutrition and physiology

Contributors vii

Preface xi

Section 1: Digestive Development and Nutrient Requirements 3

Chapter 1 Ontogeny of the digestive tract 5

Chapter 2 Lipids 47

Chapter 3 Proteins 83

Chapter 4 Micronutrients 117

Section 2: Nutritional Physiology 151

Chapter 5 Effects of broodstock diet on eggs and larvae 153

Chapter 6 Utilization of yolk: transition from endogenous to exogenous nutrition in fish 183

Chapter 7 Effects of larval nutrition on development 219

Chapter 8 Bioenergetics of growth in commercially important developing fishes 249

Chapter 9 Regulation of digestive processes 265

Section 3: Feeds and Feeding 283

Chapter 10 Feeding behavior in larval fish 285

Chapter 11 Live feeds 307

Chapter 12 Microparticulate diets: technology 335

Chapter 13 Microparticulate diets: testing and evaluating success 353

Chapter 14 Methods for assessing embryonic and larval growth in fish 373

Index 403

"Larval fish nutrition is a most useful compilation that is a welcome addition to the fish biology and aquaculture literature, but it is not an introductory book for the uninitiated . . . It can also act as a source of reference and supplementary reading for advanced level students taking courses in fish physiology and aquaculture." (Aquacult International, 18 June 2011) G. Joan Holt is the Associate Director and Perry R. Bass Chair in Fisheries and Mariculture at the University of Texas at Austin. Nutrition is particularly important in the healthy development of fish during their early-life stages. Understanding the unique nutritional needs of larval fish can improve the efficiency and quality of fish reared in a culture setting. Larval Fish Nutrition comprehensively explores the nutritional requirements, developmental physiology, and feeding and weaning strategies that will allow aquaculture researchers and professionals to develop and implement improved culture practices.

Larval Fish Nutrition is logically divided into three sections. The first section looks at the role of specific nutrient requirements in the healthy digestive development of fish. The second section looks at the impacts if nutritional physiology on fish through several early-life stages. The final section looks at feeding behaviors and the benefits and drawbacks to both live feed and microparticulate diets in developing fish.

Written by a team of leading global researchers, Larval Fish Nutrition will be an indispensible resource for aquaculture researchers, professionals, and advanced students.

Key Features:

• Reviews the latest research on larval fish nutritional requirements, developmental physiology, and feeding and weaning strategies
• Extensively covers nutritional needs of various early-life stages in fish development
• Weighs the benefits and drawbacks to both live feeds and microparticulate diets
• Written by a global team of experts in fish nutrition and physiology