A review of the nutritional requirements of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

ABSTRACT

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), also referred to as King salmon, is a premium aquaculture species farmed in New Zealand and to a small extent in western Canada. Despite the high research investment in the 50s and 60s, literature on nutrition on chinook salmon from recent years is sparse, particularly when compared to other salmonid aquaculture species, such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). To improve fish productivity, it is essential to provide specific and efficient diets based on satisfying chinook salmon requirements for nutrients and energy and adapting these to life-stage, season, and production variables. Diet specifications for chinook salmon have to date largely been based on knowledge derived from other salmonid species and may not be optimised for chinook salmon. Thus, there is a lack of knowledge in some fundamental areas. This review explores the production status and literature related to the macro and micronutrient requirements, and general nutrition of chinook salmon. In doing so it compares these requirements to other farmed salmonids to understand some of the differences between species and highlights the main gaps in the literature.

KEYWORDS:

• Chinook salmon
• nutrition
• chemical analysis
• fat
• protein
• smoltification

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ben Wybourne (Skretting), Kevin Heasman (Cawthron Institute) and Richard Smullen (Ridley) for review and comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) endeavour fund ‘Feed-efficient salmon for the future' (CAWX1606), Cawthron Institute, Stirling University and the University of Tasmania.