Effect of Increasing Dietary High Protein Distillers Dried Grains on Yellow Perch Perca flavescens Performance

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated high-protein distillers dried grains (HP-DDG; 40% CP) as a direct replacer for fishmeal (herring FM; 72%CP) in juvenile Yellow Perch (YEP) Perca flavescens diets in a 105-day feeding trial. Four fish-meal replacement levels (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) using HP-DDG were compared with a fish meal control diet. Significant differences were observed in weight gain, feed conversion, apparent protein digestibility, and condition factor and were negatively correlated with increasing HP-DDG. As FM decreased in diets, a similar decrease was observed in fish performance. Survival was 100% across all treatments. HP-DDG inclusion as a direct FM replacer in YEP diets should not exceed 50%. Lysine supplementation may result in increased performance.

KEYWORDS:

• YEP
• high-protein distillers dried grains
• fishmeal
• aquaculture

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, Hatch funds, from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Natural Resource Management at South Dakota State University, and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks for funding, facilities, equipment, and supplies. We are appreciative of the assistance provided by S. Nichols, K. Mjoun and numerous technicians.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station [SD00061-8].