Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Gastric evacuation and feeding in the gilthead sea bream reared under semi-intensive conditions

  • Papers
  • Published:
Aquaculture International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Gastric evacuation rates of the gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata, fed with commercial pelleted food and polychaetes (Nereis diversicolor) were determined under experimental conditions. The estimated gastric evacuation rate for pelleted food was 7.97% h−1, with a total time of digestion of approximately 9 h. The respective values for the natural food were 6.24% h−1, with a total digestion time of approximately 12 h. The daily consumption of fish reared in earth ponds in a semi-intensive aquaculture facility was estimated through 24 h cycles performed between April and August. The daily consumption varied from 18.58 to 31.98 mg g−1. There was a constant increase in the average daily consumption per individual of 1.8–4.6 g (dry weight). During these cycles, samples of stomachs were taken and the contents preserved for further observation. The feeding behaviour of the reared fish was compared with a fish sample caught in the Ria Formosa lagoon. No common species were found between samples. A total of 38 prey were identified, which suggests that the gilthead sea bream is a non-specific predator. Despite the high abundance of natural prey in the ponds, the dependence of sea bream on pelleted food was high.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amundsen, P. and Klemetsen, A. (1986) Within-sample variabilities in stomach contents weights of fish — implications for field studies of consumption rate. In: Contemporary Studies on Fish Feeding (eds, C.A. Simestad and G.M. Cailliet). Dr Junk Publishers: The Netherlands, pp. 307–313.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ardizzone, G.D., Cautadella, S. and Rossi, R. (1988) Management of coastal lagoons fisheries and aquaculture in Italy. FAO Fisheries Technical Papers 293, 103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arias, A. (1980) Crecimiento, régimen alimentario y reproducción de la dorada (Sparus aurata L.) y del robalo (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) en los esteros de Cádiz. Investigacion Pesquera 44, 59–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brett, J.R. (1971) Satiation time, appetite and maximum food intake of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 28, 409–415.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brodeur, R.D. (1984) Gastric evacuation rates for two foods in the black rockfish, Sebastes melanops Girard. Journal of Fish Biology 24, 287–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bromley, P.J. (1987) The effects of food type, meal size and body weight on digestion and gastric evacuation in turbot, Scophthalmus maximus L. Journal of Fish Biology 30, 501–512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castro, B.G. and Guerra, A. (1990) The diet of Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Sepia elegans (D'Orbigny, 1835) (Cephalopoda, Sepioidea) from the Ria de Vigo (NW Spain). Scientia Marina 4, 375–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, D.W. (1978) Production in fish populations. In: Ecology of Freshwater Fish Production (ed, S.D. Gerking). Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp. 5–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • dos Santos, J. and Jobling, M. (1988) Gastric emptying in cod, Gadus morhua L.: effects of food particle size and dietary energy contents. Journal of Fish Biology 33, 511–516.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durbin, E.G., Durbin, A.G., Langton, R.W. and Bowman, R.E. (1983) Stomach contents in silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis, and Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, and estimation of their daily rations. Fishery Bulletin 81, 437–454.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, D.J. (1971) Effect of temperature on rate of passage of food through the alimentary canal of the plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.). Journal of Fish Biology 3, 433–439.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, J.M. and Persson, L. (1978) The estimation of daily rates of food consumption for fish. Journal of Animal Ecology 47, 977–991.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrari, I., and Chieragato, A.R. (1981) Feeding habits of juvenile stages of Sparus aurata L., Dicentrachus labrax L., and Mugilidae in a brackish embayment of Po river delta. Aquaculture 25, 243–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gamito, S. (1994) The benthic ecology of some Ria Formosa lagoons, with reference to the potential for production of the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.). PhD thesis, Universidade do Algarve, pp. 253.

  • Hecht, T. and Van der Linger, C.D. (1982) Turbidity-induced changes in feeding strategies of fish in estuaries. South African Journal of Zoology 27, 95–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, T.E. and Larson, R.J. (1990) Gastric evacuation of three food types in black and yellow rockfish Sebastes chrysomelas (Jordan and Gilbert). Journal of Fish Biology 36, 673–681.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, J.D. and Langton, R.W. (1982) Rates of gastric evacuation for winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 39, 356–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyslop, E.J. (1980) Stomach contents analysis — a review of methods and their application. Journal of Fish Biology 17, 411–429.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jobling, M. (1980) Gastric evacuation in plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L.: effects of temperature and fish size. Journal of Fish Biology 17, 547–551.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jobling, M. (1986) Mythical models of gastric emptying and implications for food consumption studies. Environmental Biology of Fishes 16, 35–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jobling, M. (1987) Influences of food particle size and dietary energy content on patterns of gastric evacuation in fish: test of a physiological model of gastric emptying. Journal of Fish Biology 30, 299–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiørboe, T. (1978) Laboratory measurements of digestion rate in 0-group flounder (Platichthys flesus L.) at two temperatures. Ophelia 17, 155–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kissil, G.W. and Koven, W.M. (1987) Comparison of test diets for the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). BAMIDGEH, Quarterly on Aquaculture in Israel 39, 84–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koster, F.M., Schober, W., Korves, A. and Schneider, R. (1990) Tank experiments: a useful tool for the estimation of the stomach evacuation rates? ICES. Demersal Fish Committee, G:34, pp. 7.

  • Macdonald, J.S., Waiwood, K.G. and Green, R.H. (1982) Rates of digestion of different prey in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus), winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) and American plaice (Hyppoglossoides platessoides). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 39, 651–659.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKone, D. (1971) Rate at which sockeye alevins are evacuated from the stomach of mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni). Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 28, 110–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mann, K.H. (1978) Estimating the food consumption of fish in nature. In: Ecology of Freshwater Fish Production (ed, S.D. Gerking). Blackwell Scientific Publications: Oxford, pp. 250–273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parrish, D.L. and Margraf, F.J. (1990) Gastric evacuation rates of white perch, Morone americana, determined from laboratory and field data. Environmental Biology of Fishes 29, 155–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascual, E. and Arias, A. (1982) Diseño, construcción y funcionamento de una planta piloto para la producción de alevines de dorada. Informes Técnico del Instituto de Investigaciones Pesqueras 91, 3–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul, A.J., Paul, J.M. and Smith, R.L. (1990) Consumption, growth and evacuation in the Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus. Journal of Fish Biology 37, 117–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Persson, L. (1979) The effects of temperature and different food organisms on the rate of gastric evacuation in perch (Perca fluviatilis). Freshwater Biology 9, 99–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Persson, L. (1986) Patterns of food evacuation in fishes: a critical review. Environmental Biology of Fishes 16, 51–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, J.B. and Hurley, C.C. (1991) A sigmoid model to predict gastric evacuation rates in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) fed juvenile salmon. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 48, 933–937.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosecchi, E. (1987) L'alimentation de Diplodus annularis, Diplodus sargus, Diplodus vulgaris et Sparus aurata (Pisces, Sparidae) dans le Golfe de Lion et des lagunes littorales. Revue des Travaux de l'Institute des Pêches Maritimes 49, 125–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute Inc (1988) SAS/STAT User's Guide, release 6.03. Edition, Cary: NC, pp. 956.

  • Smith, R.L., Paul, J.M. and Paul, A.J. (1989) Gastric evacuation in Walleye pollock, Theraga chalcogramma. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 46, 489–493.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swenson, W.A. and Smith, L.L. (1973) Gastric digestion, food consumption, feeding periodicity, and food conversion efficiency in walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum). Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 30, 1327–1336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren, C.E., Wales, J.H., Davis, G.E. and Dourdoroff, P. (1964) Trout production in an experimental stream enriched with sucrose. Journal of Wildlife Management 28, 617–660.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wassef, E.A. and Eisawy, A. (1985) Food and feeding habits of wild and reared gilthead bream Sparus aurata. Cybium 9, 233–242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Western, J.R.H. (1971) Feeding and digestion in two cottid fishes, the freshwater Cottus gobio and the marine Ensophrys bubalis. Journal of Fish Biology 3, 617–660.

    Google Scholar 

  • Windell, J.T. and Norris, D.O. (1969) Gastric digestion and evacuation in rainbow trout. Progressive Fish-Culturist 31, 20–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Windell, J.T., Norris, D.O., Kitchell, J.F. and Norris, J.S. (1969) Digestive response of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, to pellet diets. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 26, 1801–1812.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade do Algarve, Unidade de Ciências e Tecnologias dos Recursos Aquáticos, Campus de Gambelas, 8000, Faro, Portugal

    José Pedro Andrade, Karim Erzini & Jorge Palma

Authors
  1. José Pedro Andrade
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Karim Erzini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jorge Palma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pedro Andrade, J., Erzini, K. & Palma, J. Gastric evacuation and feeding in the gilthead sea bream reared under semi-intensive conditions. Aquacult Int 4, 129–141 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00140594

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00140594

Keywords

Search

Navigation