PRODUCTION OF JUVENILE FAT SNOOK (Centropomus parallelus) IN FISH PENS INTEGRATED WITH WHITELEG SHRIMP (Penaeus vannamei) FARMING

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the growth and survival of juvenile fat snook (Centropomus parallelus) at different stocking densities in fish pens installed in a pond (~1.1 ha) used for marine shrimp farming at the Experimental Farm Yakult UFSC, Barra do Sul, SC. Twelve circular enclosures made of plastic mesh, each with an area of 26.4 m², were established at four stocking densities (30, 60, 90, and 120 fish/pen), with three replicates per treatment. Fish (22.3 ± 8.0 g and 13.1 ± 1.5 cm) were stocked in November and sampled five times until May of the following year. They were fed a commercial salmonid diet containing 46% crude protein (CP). The temperature was 25.9 ± 3.2 °C, dissolved oxygen concentration was 5.8 ± 3.0 mg/L, and salinity ranged from 5 to 20. The final weight of fat snook ranged from 113.0 ± 12.5 g (density 120) to 129.8 ± 22.6 g (density 30). Survival rates ranged from 27.5% (density 60) to 53.3% (density 30). This study demonstrated the technical feasibility of pre-fattening juvenile fat snook in shrimp-farming ponds.