Effects of feeding frequency of live prey on larval growth, survival, resistance to hyposalinity stress, Na+/K+ ATPase activity, and fatty acid profiles in black sea bass Centropristis striata

Live prey (rotifers and Artemia) are expensive to produce and can limit production of juvenile fish in a commercial marine fish hatchery. The results show that given a prescribed (albeit moderate) total daily ration of prey, feeding lower prey concentrations at higher frequencies optimized larval growth performance and vitality in black sea bass raised from first-feeding through pre-metamorphic stages.