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The Nutrition of Salmonoid Fishes

I. Chemical and Histological Studies of Wild and Domestic Fish

Salmon Nutrition Laboratory, Fish and Wildlife Service, Cook, Washington

Salmonids reared under artificial conditions show marked consistent differences in body composition in comparison with wild salmonids. Protein and mineral levels are lower and lipid values are higher in hatchery fish than in wild fish. As the period of artificial rearing is increased, these differences become more extreme. In hatchery fish, there is generally more microscopically visible fat in the liver and viscera than in these organs in wild fish although extremes are seen in both groups. In young hatchery fish and in wild fish, there is no correlation between fat deposition in the liver and in the pancreas, but in older hatchery fish, both of these organs are fatty and there is a simultaneous increase in total body lipid. In wild fish, ceroid deposition is greater, suggesting that the fatty acids are more highly unsaturated. There is little difference in disease incidence between the two groups, but parasitism is more pronounced in wild fish.

The significant variables between wild and artificially produced fish appear to be limited to diet and environment. From the factors discussed above, diet alone is probably the most important single factor in producing the changes observed in body composition.

Manuscript received 9 July 1956.