THE USE OF FREEZE-DRIED KRILL TO FEED TRAIN LARGEMOUTH BASS (MICROPTERUS-SALMOIDES) - FEEDS AND TRAINING STRATEGIES

Freeze-dried krill (FDK) and krill meal were evaluated as dietary comp onents during feed training of 1-g largemouth bass. Freeze-dried krill , dry pellets with 0, 18, 25, 36, 50, 54, and 75% krill meal, and a co mmercial moist pellet (BIODIET(TM)) were compared as starter diets. Fi sh were fed the starter diets in training periods of 4 to 13 days. Per cent fish feeding (feeders) on FDK ranged from 79 to 95% and was highe r than percent feeders on other starter diets (P < 0.01). Percent feed ers on FDK increased from 79 to 91% as FDK was fed from 4 to 13 days ( P < 0.01). Percent feeders on dry pellets increased from 1 to 28% as k rill meal levels in dry pellets increased from 0 to 75% (P < 0.01), Pe rcent feeders on BIODIET(TM) ranged from 9 to 12%. After training, fee ders on the starter diets were weaned to dry pellets. Gradual feed tra nsition and gradual feed ingredient transition were compared as strate gies to wean fish from FDK to dry pellets. Gradual feed transition is the progressive replacement of the starter diet with the final diet. G radual feed ingredient transition replaces a particular starter diet b y a sequence of feeds containing decreasing amounts of the main compon ent of the starter diet until the final diet is reached. Among fish tr ained on FDK, 65% weaned to dry pellets after gradual feed ingredient transition compared with only 28% after gradual feed transition (P < 0 .01). Fish trained on FDK for 4 days weaned better to dry pellets comp ared with fish fed FDK for 7 days or longer (P < 0.05). Fish trained o nce on FDK or fish trained on FDK that did not wean from FDK to dry pe llets and were retrained on FDK were weaned to a dry trout pellet usin g gradual feed ingredient transition. Semi-moist/soft or dry/hard wean ing diets with krill meal were evaluated. Percent feeders on trout pel lets among fish trained once on FDK was 68 to 71% compared with 33 to 39% for bass trained twice on FDK (P < 0.01). Texture of the weaning d iets did not affect percent feeders on trout pellets (P > 0.10).