EFFECT OF STARVATION ON SOME MORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERSIN WHITE STURGEON, ACIPENSER-TRANSMONTANUS

A 10 week study was conducted to determine the effect of starvation on morphological and biochemical parameters in subyearling white sturgeo n. The fish were implanted with passive integrated transponder tags so that body weight change of individual fish could be determined. Ten f ish were sampled once every 2 weeks. Carcass:body weight percentage, v iscerosomatic index, hepatosomatic index, chemical composition of carc ass and viscera, plasma glucose, protein and triacylglycerol, liver gl ycogen, and activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phospho gluconate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme, and NADP-dependent isocitrate d ehydrogenase in liver tissue were measured from individual sturgeon, A ll parameters were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by duration of st arvation. Furthermore, the results indicated that proportionally visce ra lost more weight than carcass, and lipid of these tissues showed a higher reduction than protein in the 10 week starvation. This suggeste d that viscera was the preferred tissue over muscle, and lipid was the preferred nutrient over protein for mobilization in the subyearling w hite sturgeon starved for 10 weeks. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.