GROWTH, DEFORMITIES AND SURVIVAL OF SABLEFISH LARVAE Anoplopoma fimbria FED TAURINE-ENRICHED ROTIFERS

Matthew A. Cook*, Jonathan S.F. Lee, Ronald B. Johnson and
Frederick W. Goetz
 
Manchester Research Station, NOAA/NMFS
7305 Beach Dr. E. Port Orchard, WA 98366
 matt.cook@noaa.gov
 

Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) is a high value fish found throughout the northeastern Pacific. There is a worldwide demand for sablefish and a strong interest in the U.S., Canada and Korea to develop sablefish as an aquaculture species. To improve aquaculture protocols for sablefish larvae we studied the effects of increased dietary taurine during the rotifer feeding stage on growth, deformities and survival from first-feeding to juveniles. Malformed fish cannot be used for post weaning nutrition and developmental research or retained for our sablefish broodstock program at NOAA. Reducing sablefish deformities and improving growth and survival during early larval development is important to aquaculture facilities, researchers and consumers.

First-feeding sablefish larvae were fed taurine-enriched rotifers and a non-taurine control (<0.01, 2.2, 4.0 or 7.8 mg/g dry weight) for 14 days. All treatments (n=4) were switched to Artemia and then weaned to dry diet. Rotifers were enriched with taurine by placing them in a solution of aerated seawater and taurine at zero 2, 4 and 8 g/L for one hour. Larvae samples were taken for dry weights, lengths and rotifer consumption at several points during development. Samples were also taken to determine deformities after the taurine feeding, at weaning and three months after weaning.

On day 14, the end of the taurine feeding, larvae fed the highest taurine concentration were significantly heavier (p = 0.0064) than the other three treatments (Figure 1). Larvae from the high taurine treatment were still significantly heavier at weaning compared to the other treatments

(p = 0.0365). Survival at weaning was ~10% lower in the control treatment compared to the three taurine treatments but not significantly lower. Rotifer consumption was higher in the taurine treatments on three of the four sampling days compared to the control, though not significantly higher. Total deformities per 100 juveniles was greater in the control by ~ 15% compared to the taurine treatments, however the result was not significant. Adding taurine to rotifers improves

sablefish larvae growth and appears to increase survival to weaning and reduces overall deformities in 120-day old juveniles.