Growth and Biochemical Composition of Cultured Sea Bass (Lates calcarifer) Larvae

Developing eggs and larvae of hatchery-reared sea bass (Lates calcarifer, Bloch) were ana­lyzed to determine the biochemical changes occurring during early development of this commer­cially important species. Mean egg diameter was 807 (±10.7) µm. Larval growth was rapid; larval length increased from 2.38 to 8.49 mm during the first 23 d of development with a corresponding increase in dry weight from 0.021 to 2.641 mg. Ash content of developing eggs was 8.0% increas­ing to 11.7-16.9% in larvae. Dry weight decreased by 43% between day I (developing egg) and day 2 (hatched larva). The protein content of larvae was relatively constant during development, form­ing 48.3-55.2% of the dry weight. Lipid was the major energy reserve used by developing larvae; total lipid content declined from 22. 7% of the dry weight in day 2 larvae to 11.0% in day 9 larvae. The majority (62. 7%) of the lipid utilized during this period was neutral lipid. Carbohydrate levels were low in developing eggs and remained low during larval development forming less than 3% of the dry weight.