Development of a practical diet for juvenile striped bass

We formulated four diets that simulated the amino acid profiles of eggs of striped bass Morone saxatilis, carcasses of larval striped bass, eggs of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, or nauplii of Artemia salina; a fifth diet contained a high concentration (33.6%) of shrimp meal. These diets were fed to juvenile striped bass for 14 weeks. Striped bass grew best when fed diets with an amino acid pattern that simulated the patterns of rainbow trout eggs or Artemia salina. Fish fed these two diets grew as well as, and had carcass compositions and protein efficiency ratios similar to those of, control fish fed the federally specified ASD2‐30 salmon diet. No histological or morphological abnormalities were noted. These two diets, which have potentially lower production costs and contain slightly less protein than ASD2‐30, may be used as prototype diets specifically for striped bass. Through further minor refinements, the diets could be used in production hatcheries.