White grouper (Epinephelus aeneus) is a Mediterranean fish species that, like many Asian groupers, is a very promising candidate for intensive aquaculture because of its high market value, excellent taste and rapid growth. Under domestication at the National Centre for Mariculture in Eilat, Israel, white grouper has been successfully reproduced in captivity, and a formulated feed developed for its culture.

One of the major steps in this development is to define the potential of the fish for growth under optimal conditions and how this growth is affected by the quality and quantity of the feed. Factors that influence growth, such as feeding behavior and water temperature, also need to be determined.

As part of the research in these areas, a growth trial using hatchery-reared grouper was carried out to study the effects of stocking density on feed intake and subsequent growth.

Author: Ingrid Lupatsch, Ph.D.

Source: Global Aquaculture Advocat. Read the full article here.