Digestible energy need (DEN) of selected farmed fish species

Using the energy required (digestible energy need, DEN) to grow 1 kg of wet body weight, feed ration models can be created that accurately calculate the daily feed requirements for specific strains/stocks of fish and farm locality. This study examines the effect of body weight and temperature on the DEN. The relationship was examined using data from the current scientific literature for selected farmed fish species. In general, the DEN increased with increasing body weight for salmoniformes and pleuronectiformes. However, no effect of temperature was found for any groups examined by systematic order or species. Perciformes fish showed no effect of body weight or temperature on the DEN. This may be attributed to differences in the way that body composition changes occur among species as they grow (e.g., changes in fat storage), which in turn may be explained by an adaptation to life in warmer water.