Application of compensatory growth to enhance production in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus

Four treatment groups that received repeating cycles of fixed feed deprivat ion for either 0, 1, 2, or 3 d (control, treatment 1, treatment 2, and trea tment 3, respectively), followed by periods of refeeding with a 36% protein commercial catfish feed once daily as long as the active phase of compensa tory growth (CG) persisted, were assessed in flow-through aquaria. No-feed periods elicited the CG state and were immediately followed by days of ad l ibatum refeeding. At the end of 10 wk, average growth rate (AGR) of fish wa s higher (P < 0.05) than the control by 40%, 180%, and 191% for treatment 1 , treatment 2, and treatment 3, respectively. The average weight of fish in treatment 3 was heavier (P < 0.05) than the average control group at the e nd of the study period. Mean daily feed consumption was 3.91%, 5.03%, 5.36% , and 5.98% for control, treatment 1, treatment 2, and treatment 3, respect ively. Mean feed consumption per fish per day was 24%, 71.3%, and 70.7% hig her than the control in treatment 1. treatment 2, and treatment 3, respecti vely. Restricted feeding is one of the effective methods to contain ESC-rel ated losses in commercial channel catfish fingerling operations. The mean c umulative survival of treatment groups registered higher (P < 0.05) surviva l to Edwardsiella ictaluri infection compared to the daily red control fish . Results from this study show that compensatory growth response triggered by periodic non-feeding days can improve growth rate, feed consumption, and improved survival to ESC infections in channel catfish fingerlings.