The effects of fish meal substitution by clam meal on the growth and health of Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus)

Authors: HABTE-TSION, H-MICHAEL - University Of Maine; RICHE, MARTY - Florida Atlantic University; MEJRI, SAHAR - Florida Atlantic University; BRADSHAW, DAVID - Florida Atlantic University; WILLS, PAUL - Florida Atlantic University; MYERS, JOSEPH - Sea Watch International, Inc; PERRICONE, CARLIE - Florida Atlantic University

Submitted to: Scientific Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/14/2022
Publication Date: 5/11/2022
Citation: Habte-Tsion, H., Riche, M., Mejri, S., Bradshaw, D., Wills, P.S., Myers, J.J., Perricone, C. 2022. The effects of fish meal substitution by clam meal on the growth and health of Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus). Scientific Reports. 12, 7696. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11675-x.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11675-x

Interpretive Summary: A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of substituting clam meal for fish meal (FM) in the diets of Florida pompano. Growth, feed utilization, liver enzymes, blood parameters, make up of liver and muscle, and gut bacteria health were looked at. Small fish (about 6.0 g) were used for this trial. A control diet (FM-based, 0% clam meal), and three test diets with clam meal included at 10%, 20% and 30% of the diet were evaluated to determine the effects of clam meal in the diet. The results indicated that: (1) survival was equal to or greater than 97%, and clam meal substitution did not negatively affect feed efficiency; (2) the fish fed 10% and 20% clam meal had a higher final weight than the group fed the 0% clam meal, and those fed the 10% and 20% clam meal resulted in higher weight gain, higher production efficiency and had lower body fat; (3) liver and intestinal enzyme activities were not affected by the substitution of clam meal suggesting body tissues were not harmed. Similarly, incorporation of clam meal into the diet, even up to 30% of the diet had no adverse effect on the markers of health status of the fish. Overall, this study concluded that clam meal is a suitable alternative to fish meal in marine finfish diets.

Technical Abstract: A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of fish meal (FM) substitution by clam meal (CM, at 10%, 20% and 30% of the diet) on the growth, feed utilization, hepatic enzymes, plasma parameters, fatty acid and amino acid composition, and gut microbiome of juvenile Florida pompano, Trachinotus carolinus. The results indicated that: (1) juveniles fed 10% and 20% CM had a significantly higher final weight than the group fed the control (0% CM); and the control group also showed significantly lower weight gain, protein retention value, whole-body crude protein and total amino acids composition, but higher hepatosomatic index and whole-body crude fat; (2) hepatic trypsin and lipase activities were not significantly affected by the substitution of CM, but it did affect amylase activity, with lower levels found in fish fed 10% CM compared to 30% CM; (3) hepatic peroxide level and antioxidant enzyme activities, and plasma total protein, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and immunoglobulin M showed no significant differences among the treatments; (4) there were no significant differences among treatments in terms of fatty acids composition and microbial diversity. Overall, this study concluded that CM has comparable benefit in the diet of Florida pompano as FM does.