| dc.description.abstract | A laboratory approach to quantify food preferences in penaeid shrimp is developed in this study. Direct visual observations from beneath the experimental tanks provided accurate data with which to assess relative attractivity of one artificial and three natural foods.
The method revealed that Penaeus setiferus has no significant preferenceamong the natural foods tested, which were polychaetes (Nereis sp.), and the muscle tissue of fish (Archosargus probatocephalus), shrimp (Penaeus setiferus), and squid (Loligo sp.). There was, however, a significant preference for any of the natural foods over the artificial feed "K" (Fenucci, Zein-Eldin and Lawrence, 1980).
Further research is needed to isolate and identify attractants in preferred natural foods. These compounds can then be supplemented in prepared shrimp diets to make them more attractive. The method developed in the present work can serve as a useful tool in this important aspect of diet development for penaeid shrimp culture. | en |
