Nutritional Composition and Use of Common Carp Muscle in Yellow Perch Diets

High market demand, increasing meal costs, and questionable sustainability of wild marine stocks has to investigation of alternative plant and animal protein sources for aquaculture feeds.  Our objective was to evaluate the use of a locally abundant, non-native fish species, common carp Cyprinius carpio, to offset marine fish meal used in experimental feeds.  We completed biochemical analyses of common carp whole muscle, formulated diets with using carp and menhaden meal, and performed a feeding trial.  Composition of common carp muscle meal (CCMM; protein= 73.4%, lipid = 25.7%, dry matter basis) slightly differed from menhaden meal (MM). Three isocaloric [3.38 ± 0.04 kcal/g (mean ± SE)], isonitrogenous (29.7 ± 0.5%) experimental diets were formulated to include 50%:0%, 25%:25%, or 0%:50% CCMM:MM.  Yellow perch Perca flavescens (mean weight = 18.1 ± 0.6) were randomly stocked in 12, 37-L glass aquaria with seven fish per tank in four replicate tanks per treatment.  Fish fed 25%:25% CCMM:MM exhibited the highest weight gain, while fish fed 50%:0% CCMM:MM had statistically higher food conversion ratios, protein efficiency ratios, and visceral somatic indices.  These results indicate that CCMM can be used to partially offset the use of marine fish meal in yellow perch diets.