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Effects of broodstock diets on growth of larval Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.)

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Abstract

A previous study using two commercial pelleted diets (broodstock and on-growing diets) and a baitfish diet to feed hatchery-reared Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) broodstock revealed higher growth and size of spawners as well as higher fertilization and hatch success in the group fed the baitfish diet, but no differences in egg diameter or blastomere normality. In the present study, we explore differences in condition and growth of cod larvae to assess the effect of the abovementioned broodstock diets on offspring using protein-specific growth rates and RNA/DNA ratios (RNA/DNA). Changes in RNA/DNA with time (after 7 days post-hatch) were significantly lower in the broodstock diet group compared with the other two groups, suggesting a lower feeding condition and growth potential. However, our results show no differences in growth and survival up to 49 dph between the larvae originating from broodstock fed the three diets. Contrary to other authors’ findings, we found no correlation between the RNA/DNA and instantaneous growth rates possibly due to the variability in growth observed within diet groups. Our results provide information about the effects of broodstock diets on early larval growth and survival of Atlantic cod.

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Abbreviations

SGR:

Specific growth rates

RNA/DNA:

RNA/DNA ratios

OG:

On-growing diet

BR:

Marine broodstock diet

BF:

Wild baitfish diet

dph:

Days post-hatch

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Aquaculture Collaborative Research Program (ACRDP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquaculture, Biotechnology and Aquatic Animal Health Section, Science Branch, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Center, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Department of Fisheries and Oceans), 80 East White Hills Road, PO Box 8667, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5X1, Canada

    Juan Carlos Pérez-Casanova, Matthew Webb, Lynn Lush, Isabel A. S. F. Costa & Dounia Hamoutene

  2. Department of Ocean Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1 Marine Lab Road, St. John’s, NL, Canada

    Christopher Parrish

Authors
  1. Juan Carlos Pérez-Casanova
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  2. Matthew Webb
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  3. Lynn Lush
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  4. Christopher Parrish
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  5. Isabel A. S. F. Costa
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  6. Dounia Hamoutene
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dounia Hamoutene.

Appendix

Appendix

The following information is summarized from Hamoutene et al. (2013), as it provides valuable supplemental information to the manuscript.

Table 2 provides detail on the composition of the diets (Hamoutene et al. 2013). This information is neither used to discuss the results nor comment on the findings, however is useful as background information.

Table 2 Diet composition for pelleted diets as provided by manufacturer and for analyzed baitfish diet
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Pérez-Casanova, J.C., Webb, M., Lush, L. et al. Effects of broodstock diets on growth of larval Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.). Aquacult Int 23, 1063–1070 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-014-9864-5

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