The Use of Meat Meal as a Dietary Protein Source Replacing Fish Meal in Juvenile Rockfish Sebastes schlegeli

This study examined the partial replacement of the fish meal with meat meal in practical diets for juvenile rock-fish. Five isonitrogenous (48% CP) diets were prepared to contain meat meal at 0% (control), 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% with substituting the mackerel meal in the control diet. Three replicate groups of fish (initial average weight, 4.1g) were hand-fed to visual satiety two times daily for 8 weeks. Survival (>93%) and daily feed intake were not significantly different (P>0.05) among treatments. The best weight gain, feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio were obtained from fish fed the diets containing 0% and 10% meat meal, and were not significantly different (P>0.05) to those of fish 134 diet containing 20% meat meal. Condition factor, visceralsomatic index and hepatosomatic index were not influenced by dietary meat meal levels. The contents of crude protein and ash of whole body were not significantly affected (P>0.05) by dietary meat meal levels, whereas crude lipid content of fish fed the diets containing 30% and 40% was lower than that of fish fed the control diet. Proximate composition of liver was not influenced by dietary meat meal level (P>0.05). The data obtained in this study indicate that a diet containing meat meal could be used for least-cost formulation in juvenile rockfish diet.