FEEDING TRIALS WITH JUVENILE ATLANTIC STURGEONS PROPAGATED FROM WILD BROODSTOCK

Juvenile Atlantic sturgeons Acipenser oxyrinchus produced by hormone-i nduced spawning of wild broodstock from the Hudson River, New York, we re used in a diet study. Fish fed live Artemia sp. as first feeding fr y for 35 d were observed to convert readily to formulated diets. At 79 d posthatch, four formulated feeds were offered: sturgeon starter 930 4, Biokyowa, Zeigler esocid diet, and Tunison sturgeon starter. At the end of 60 d, fish fed Biokyowa had the greatest growth and best feed conversion (P less than or equal to 0.05). Feed conversions were signi ficantly different between all treatments, indicating wide variability in growth response to the diets tested. Proximate analyses of diets s howed Biokyowa highest in protein (59.43%) and dry matter (97.28%).