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Use of fresh vegetable discards as sea urchin diet: effect on gonad index and quality

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Abstract

This study evaluated the exploitation of unprocessed agricultural discards in the form of fresh vegetable leaves as a diet for the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus through the assessment of their effects on gonad yield and quality. A stock of wild-caught P. lividus was fed on discarded leaves from three different species (Beta vulgaris, Brassica oleracea, and Lactuca sativa) and the macroalga Ulva lactuca for 3 months under controlled conditions. At the beginning and end of the experiment, total and gonad weight were measured, while gonad and diet total carbon (C%), nitrogen (N%), δ13C, δ15N, carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins were analyzed. The results showed that agricultural discards provided for the maintenance of gonad index and nutritional value (carbohydrate, lipid, and protein content) of initial specimens. L. sativa also improved gonadic color. The results of this study suggest that fresh vegetable discards may be successfully used in the preparation of more balanced diets for sea urchin aquaculture. The use of agricultural discards in prepared diets offers a number of advantages, including an abundant resource, the recycling of discards into new organic matter, and reduced pressure on marine organisms (i.e., macroalgae) in the production of food for cultured organisms.

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Abbreviations

IDC:

Individual daily consumption

Wt:

Total wet weight

Gw:

Gonad wet weight

GI:

Gonad index

DO:

Dark orange

BO:

Bright orange

YO:

Yellow-orange

MO:

Mango orange

AFDW:

Ash-free dry weight

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by INNOVAQUA Project (PON02_00451_3362185) and Flagship Project RITMARE—Italian Research for the Sea—both funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research. We are grateful to A. Augsburger Bachmann for supportive discussion in the early stages of this study, to P. Scariano and A. Savona for assistance with feeding experiments, and to A.E. Aleo and V.A. Tumbarello for help in laboratory analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, CoNISMa, Via Archirafi 18, 90123, Palermo, Italy

    Salvatrice Vizzini, Antonino Vaccaro & Antonio Mazzola

  2. International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS), Vietnam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS), 10 Nguyen Cong Hoan St, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Luca Miccichè

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  1. Salvatrice Vizzini
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  2. Luca Miccichè
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Correspondence to Salvatrice Vizzini.

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Vizzini, S., Miccichè, L., Vaccaro, A. et al. Use of fresh vegetable discards as sea urchin diet: effect on gonad index and quality. Aquacult Int 23, 127–139 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-014-9803-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-014-9803-5

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