Fish Nutrition

Need assistance with wildlife and fish management on your ranch, backyard, or pond? Simply call your local County Extension Agent.

 In the southeastern United States, fish are generally cultured in earthen ponds at relatively high densities. The intensive culture system requires that the fish be fed a nutritionally complete diet that provides nutrients and energy at or above the required levels for optimum growth and feed efficiency. This is mainly because the amount of natural food in the pond is relatively small compared to the total nutrient requirements of the fish, except in early stages of life (fry and small fingerlings). Feed represents the largest variable cost in most fish production. While the need for more economical feeds is clear, it is imperative that fish feeds are formulated to be cost-effective, not just less costly. This can be achieved by carefully selecting and blending various traditional and alternative feedstuffs that are suitable for use in fish feeds. It is important that using less expensive alternative feedstuffs not degrade the nutritional and physical quality of the feed, fish growth, processed yield, and product quality.

Adapted from -SRAC Publication No. 1806, Feed Ingredients and Feeds for Channel Catfish

Southern Regional Aquaculture Center	SRAC Publication No. 1806 – Feed Ingredients and Feeds for Channel Catfish
Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center	NRAC Publication No. 222 – Evaluation of Artificial Diets for Cultured Fish
University of Florida	Fish Nutrition Interpreting a Fish Food Package Label The Benefits of Fish Meal in Aquaculture Diets The Concept of Ideal Protein in Formulation of Aquaculture Feeds What Are Nutrient-Dense Fish Feeds and Their Importance in Aquaculture? Preparing Your Own Fish Feeds Molds in Fish Feeds and Aflatoxicosis Decapsulating Brine Shrimp Eggs Choosing an Appropriate Live Feed for Larviculture of Marine Fish Culture Techniques of Moina– The Ideal Daphnia for Feeding Freshwater Fish Fry
University of Hawai’i at Manoa	Nutrition Considerations in Aquaculture- The Importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Fish Development and Human Health
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	Nutrition and Feeding for Sustainable Aquaculture Development in the Third Millennium The Nutrition and Feeding of Farmed Fish and Shrimp – A Training Manual (3. Feeding Methods)
Virginia Cooperative Extension	Understanding Fish Nutrition, Feeds, and Feeding
Louisiana State University	Feeding and Nutrition – Gulf killifish
Mississippi State University	Catfish Nutrition- Feeding Food Fish A Practical Guide to Nutrition, Feeds, and Feeding of Catfish Catfish Nutrition- Feeds
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff	Nutrition and Feeding of Baitfish
Auburn University	Relative Weight- An Easy-to-Measure Index of Fish Condition Nutrition and Feeding in Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) Farming
Extension.org	Comparison of Soybean-Based Practical Diets Containing 32, 36, or 40% Crude Protein Fed to Hybrid Striped Bass in Earthen Culture Ponds Comparative Growth and Yield of Channel Catfish and Channel x Blue Hybrid Catfish Fed a Full or Restricted Ration