Replacement of Fish Meal with Plant Feedstuffs in the Diet of Red Drum, Sciaenops ocellatus: Effects on Production Characteristics and Tolerance to Aquaculture-Related Stressors

The continued expansion of intensive aquaculture activities requires that substitutes for fish meal-based protein be identified. In this study, we evaluated partial (50 and 75%) replacement of fish meal in red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, diets with soy protein concentrate (S) and barley protein concentrate (B). Growth, feed efficiency, survival, tolerance to low temperature, and tolerance to handling in warm, hypersaline water were evaluated. Only the diet with a 50% replacement of fish meal with S yielded results comparable to fish fed a nonsubstituted fish meal diet. However, the low-temperature studies were complicated by differences in mean fish weight among the groups. The results of this study indicate S may be partially substituted for fish meal in red drum diets.