Marine and freshwater crab meals in diets for the red porgy (Pagrus pagrus): growth, colour, and fish composition

[EN] Red porgy, Pagrus pagrus, is one of the marine fish species for the aquaculture diversification in the Mediterranean and Mid Atlantic coasts. Relevance of its nutrition has been demonstrated not only from growth and body composition, but also because it?s important role in fish skin colour and carotenoids deposition (Kalinowski et al., 2005; Pavlidis et al., 2006). Present study evaluate the influence of two different crab meals by products, marine and freshwater origin, as protein and pigment sources in experimental diets for red porgy and its effects on fish growth and feed utilization parameters, fish skin colour and fish composition. Both crab meals used in present study are suitability as partial replacers of fish meal in diets for the red porgy. Dietary inclusion levels of 10% and 20% of the dietary protein from these meals have no detrimental effects on growth and feed utilization parameters respect to a fish meal based diet, with high improvements in fish skin redness and skin colour saturation by increased inclusion levels. Digestibility and retention efficiency parameters are being analyzing at the moment.

Utilización de cangrejo y harinas en un pienso para pulpo común Octopus vulgaris

The present work evaluates whether the addition of 2 species of crab (Portunus pelagicus and Grapsus grapsus) as attractants (10%) in experimental moist diet based in discarded bogue (Boops boops) may increase ingestion and growth in O. vulgaris. Besides, another diet based on flour, made from discarded bogue and G. grapsus, was tested. Finally, a 40-60% discarded bogue-crab P. pelagicus was provided as a control diet. Four male octopuses, kept The present work evaluates whether the addition of 2 species of crab (Portunus pelagicus and Grapsus grapsus) as attractants (10%) in experimental moist diet based in discarded bogue (Boops boops) may increase ingestion and growth in O. vulgaris. Besides, another diet based on flour, made from discarded bogue and G. grapsus, was tested. Finally, a 40-60% discarded bogue-crab P. pelagicus was provided as a control diet. Four male octopuses, kept in PVC net cages in the same tank, were fed each diet for 8 weeks and several parameters were calculated: absolute growth rate (AGR, g./day), standard feeding rate (SFR, %/day) and feed efficiency (FE). The addition of crab to the diet under the conditions described did not improve ingestion, growth or feed efficiency in this species, while the flour based diet generated negative growth.