Growth and Survival of Snubnose Pompano (Trachinotus blochii LACEPÉDE) Cultured in Floating Netcages with Different Protein Diets

Abstract

Snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii) is one of the potential species for aquaculture because of its tasty meat, fast growth rate, and appealing appearance. Despite such potential, there are insufficient information on the growth, survival and nutritional requirement of this species. A 45-day feeding experiment was conducted with snubnose pompano (initial body weight of 2.61- 2.68g and initial total length of 5.10-5.20cm) to determine the effects of different protein diets on its growth performance, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and survival at the Western Philippines University Fishcage Project, Tiniguiban Cove, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Fishes were fed four types of diets: formulated Diets I (25% CP) and IV (30% CP); and commercial feeds, Diet II (25% CP) and Diet III (28% CP). Fish exhibited better growth performance (P<0.05) with commercial feeds (Diets II and III) although FCR is not significantly different among treatments. Growth and survival of T. blochii fingerlings generally increased with increased dietary protein level. It is recommended that further study be conducted using higher protein content diet as feed for T. blochii within a longer culture period.