Mulvey-McFerron 1

Feeding Practices for Farm Raised Hybrid Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis x Morone chrysops)
Owen Mulvey-McFerron
Landau, Aquaculture

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Hybrid striped bass culture (Morone saxatilis x Morone chrysops) is the fastest growing
sector of aquaculture in the United States (Li et al 682). It continues to expand in the U.S., and is
poised to make the jump to the international scale as a seafood commodity desired around the
globe. The first cross between a female striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and a male white bass
(Morone chrysops) was successfully attained in 1965 (Morris et al 1). This so called palmetto
bass has an improved growth rate over both parent species, and its survival in an aquaculture
scenario is also better (Morris et al 1). The hybrids are also more resilient to infections and
disease (Morris et al 1). To add to the growing list of benefits, hybrid stripers are tolerant to a
greater range of water quality parameters than their parents are, and are a very popular food fish,
which means they can be very lucrative for the farmer who decides to raise them (Morris et al 1).
In addition to the palmetto cross that was done, a reciprocal cross (female white bass and male
striped bass) was also bred, due to the increasing difficulty of obtaining wild female striped bass
(Morris et al 1). This cross was known as the sunshine bass and is the more common cross used
in aquaculture today (Morris et al 1). While hybrid striped bass are very well suited for being
farmed raised, there are a number of factors that can play a large role on their growth and overall
health. General water quality is very important, however since hybrids are reasonably hardy fish,
they can thrive under a larger range of water quality parameters than many other species. They
are also well suited to pond culture so no extensive tank or pump systems are necessary (Morris
et al 1). In addition, most literature, both past and present, agrees on many of the practices
involved in raising hybrid striped bass. Recently, however, there has been some disagreement
with regard to feeding methods. This mainly centered on the types of food, with newer research
indicating that a soy protein based diet was more advantageous than the traditional fish meal diet
(Improving Feeds for Hybrid Striped Bass). In addition, the Striped Bass Growers Association

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has stated that the increasing cost of feed (driven by the increasing cost of fish meal) is the
primary challenge faced by the striped bass industry (Rombenso et al 198). This paper will
discuss the nutritional demands of hybrid striped bass that must be met by a feeding regimen,
along with common alternatives to traditional feeds. In addition, the benefits of a soy based diet,
along with other issues involved with the feeding of cultured hybrid striped bass will be
addressed.
The nutritional needs of hybrid stripers have been studied rather heavily since their
inception as a staple of the American aquaculture industry. Many scientists have tried to find a
cost effective way to formulate a feed that would adequately meet the necessary nutritional
requirements while remaining cost effective. Before discussing the feed options themselves,
however, the nutritional needs of the fish must first be established. Hybrid striped bass are
offspring of two predatory species, which means they require a diet that is high in protein
(Improving Feeds for Hybrid Striped Bass). In the wild, hybrid striped bass are highly predatory,
feeding on threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum)
along with other baitfish species found in the freshwater reservoirs where they are stocked as a
game fish (Hodson et al 2). This is cost prohibitive in an aquaculture scenario, and since protein
is the most expensive component of fish feeds, providing too much protein in the hybrid stripers
diet will decrease the profit margin while having no beneficial impact on growth (Improving
Feeds for Hybrid Striped Bass). While protein itself is important, the ratio of protein to energy is
also essential (Improving Feeds for Hybrid Striped Bass). The fish need enough energy so they
can use the protein in their diet for growth, however if they consume too much energy they will
not grow because they will not ingest enough protein (Improving Feeds for Hybrid Striped Bass).
According to a Kentucky State University study, a diet comprised of 41% protein with a protein

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to energy ratio of 99mg/kcal best replicated a natural, all fish diet (Improving Feeds for Hybrid
Striped Bass). This also helps minimize abdominal fat deposits on the fish, making them more
desirable for human consumption (Improving Feeds for Hybrid Striped Bass). In addition to the
protein requirements of hybrid striped bass, carbohydrates are also necessary to provide
additional energy so the fish can grow (Improving Feeds for Hybrid Striped Bass). Hybrid
striped bass are surprisingly good at metabolizing carbohydrates for energy despite the fact they
are predatory and would never naturally consume carbohydrates as part of their natural diet
(Improving Feeds for Hybrid Striped Bass). According to research done by East Carolina
University, both simple and complex carbohydrates are digested quite well (83.3-100%) by
hybrid striped bass, except for potato starch, which was very poorly digested (66%) (Improving
Feeds for Hybrid Striped Bass). With these dietary requirements in mind, different types of feed
that satisfy the nutrition of hybrid striped bass may now be explored.
Traditionally, fish meals or related products are used to feed hybrid striped bass. They are
very effective, however they are also quite costly, due to the expense that must go into preparing
them for the fish farmer (Trushenski and Gause 329). In addition, as the world demand for
cultured seafood increases, so will the demand for fish meal. Being a finite resource, this will
cause a subsequent increase in price which will eventually become cost prohibitive (Trushenski
and Gause 329). After significant research, however, it was determined that the fish meal portion
of a hybrid bass diet could be reduced to zero by replacing it with alternative protein sources,
including plant based, animal based, and biofuel byproduct proteins (Trushenski and Gause 330).
These alternatives had slightly reduced digestibility when compared with the standard fish meal
(menhaden meal) however this did not impact growth rates among test population (Trushenski
and Gause 336). They are also slightly less expensive that menhaden meal (~$1600-2400/ metric

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ton in 2013), and, especially in the case of soy proteins (~$2300/ metric ton in 2013), are
renewable resources so the prices will remain relatively constant (Trushenski and Gause 336).
When compared with the steep projected rise in fish meal price, these plant based proteins will
be an important alternative feed source in the future, especially with the growing reliance on
aquaculture to provide food (Trushenski and Gause 336). With regards to the palatability of the
resulting fillets, culinary professionals were unable to discern between a fish raised on fish meal
or soybean meal (Trushenski and Gause 337). Furthermore, soybean meal did not produce any
physical (ie: color, texture, or flakiness) alteration of the harvested fillets of hybrid striped bass,
which makes it not only a suitable replacement to fish meal, but a far cheaper alternative that is
being used with increasing frequency by hybrid striped bass farmers (Trushenski and Gause
329).
When substituting soy meal for fish meal in a hybrid striped bass diet, it is important to
consider several things. First, soy proteins and fish proteins, while similar, are not identical, so
the fish will not be able to use them in exactly the same manner. In addition, they can alter the
taste of the fish which, in a profession where the end object is human consumption, is a very
important factor. Finally, antinutritional factors found in soy meal can decrease its effectiveness
as an alternative feed, not only in fish, but also for livestock and humans as well (Rombenso et al
198). These components include protease inhibitors, lectins, oligosaccharides, and others which
essentially prevent efficient digestion of polypeptides and reduce the bioavailability of certain
minerals essential to proper nutrition (Rombenso et al 198). This is a major drawback when
considering soy meal as an alternative feed source. There are several processes that can be
applied to soy meal to minimize or completely eliminate these antinutritional factors.
Fermentation is the most common of these processes, and has been successfully used in other

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applications for a number of years around the globe (Rombenso et al 198). When it is applied to
striped bass feed, positive results are apparent. Fish that were fed fermented soybean meal
outgrew fish fed standard soybean meal consistently by nearly 100% of the initial mass of the
fish (Rombenso et al 201). The fermentation of the soybean meal did result in a slightly lower
FCR than the standard soybean meal which led to a higher feed intake as a percentage of body
weight (Rombenso et al 201). From a nutritional standpoint, the fermented soybean meal had six
additional amino acids not present in the standard soybean meal, in addition to having acutely
depressed antinutritional factors (Rombenso et al 201). These results are promising; however
there is a limit to the effectiveness of soybean meal as a replacement for fish meal. Research has
indicated that if less than 5% of a fishs diet is fish meal, production is depressed below a level
where the cost benefits of the soy meal do not offset the lowered production (Rombenso et al
201). This means that aggressive or complete sparing is not feasible (Rombenso et al 201). At
5% fish meal, however, the fish grew physically and received comparable nutrition to a 30% fish
meal diet at a significantly lower cost (Rombenso et al 202). This is a very important trend to
note, because due to the high protein density, low cost, and high availability of soybean meal, it
is a very effective alternative feed source for hybrid striped bass (Rombenso et al 197).
In addition to soybean meal, soybean oils can also be substituted into a hybrid striped
bass diet in place of the more expensive fish oil. While in general terms, soybean oil appears to
be a suitable substitute for traditional feeds, it must be noted that there are numerous varieties of
soybean oil, each with unique physical and chemical properties. When selecting an alternative
feed source, it is optimal to identify the most productive soybean oil variation so as to maximize
hybrid striped bass growth and health while maximizing productivity.

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There a number of different alterations that may be made to standard soybean oil that can
have significant impacts on its nutritional value as a feed source. Among the many possibilities
the most common variations are saturated fatty-acid enriched, low alpha-linoleic acid, and
hydrogenated soybean oils. These were tested in comparison with standard soybean oil and a fish
oil control group by Trushenski and Kanczuzewski during a twelve week period on hybrid
striped bass. It was determined that production and growth rate were statistically unaffected
when the dietary lipid source was altered (Trushenski, Kanczuzewski 301). When sample fillets
from each group were dried and pulverized, and the fatty acid profile was analyzed, some
differences became noticeable. The fish fed hydrogenated soybean oil had elevated levels of
monounsaturated fatty-acids (Trushenski, Kanczuzewski 299). Also worth noting is the fact that
the fish fed the saturated fatty-acid rich oil did not display any large gains in the saturated fattyacids in their fillet profile (Trushenski, Kanczuzewski 299). When comparing the fatty-acid
profiles of the soy-oil fed fish to the fish oil control, two groups stood out. The hydrogenated
soybean oil and the saturated fatty-acid enriched oil both had nearly identical profiles to the fish
oil (Trushenski, Kanczuzewski 299). This is very important, because alternative feeds that mimic
the chemical and physical results of traditional feeds are desirable, especially if there is a cost
benefit. These results were then taken a step further to further optimize the oil composition, and
in an additional study, an even more refined soybean oil derivative was developed that imitated
the fatty acid profile of fish oil almost perfectly.
One of the primary issues when applying soy-products as an alternative feed for hybrid
striped bass is the loss of long chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids in the meat of the fish
(Kanczuzewski, Trushenski 8). According to testing preformed on sunshine bass, substituting
saturated fatty acid rich, hydrogenated soybean oil for traditional fish oils can prevent this loss of

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the long chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids (Kanczuzewski, Trushenski 10). On a more physical
scale, experiments were conducted to determine differences in the growth rates and fatty acid
profiles of hybrid striped bass that were fed on various dietary percents of soybean oils and
finished on menhaden oil (Kanczuzewski, Trushenski 12). Statistically speaking, there was no
difference in the percent weight gain of the fish, which was the important calculated value as
opposed to gross weight gain (Kanczuzewski, Trushenski 12). It was determined, through these
experiments, that finishing the bass on fish oil or fish meal was very important to maintaining a
normal lipid profile of a fish that has been raised exclusively on fish oils (Kanczuzewski,
Trushenski 13).
Generally speaking, culturing predatory fish is a very costly undertaking. They must
normally be fed a high protein, fish-based diet that most closely replicates their natural feeding
habits (Carlberg et al 26). Recent research indicates that this is not the case with hybrid striped
bass. They respond very well to soy based products, specifically saturated fatty-acid rich,
hydrogenated soybean oil and fermented fish meal. With a 5% fish meal, and 80% fermented
soybean meal diet, the growth and nutrition of a striped bass will mirror a fish on a strictly fish
meal diet (Rombenso et al 201). In addition, saturated fatty-acid rich, hydrogenated soybean oil
is a nearly identical substitute for menhaden oil in feeds. When these two soy products are fed in
conjunction with each other, the amount of fish proteins and lipids in a farmers feed allotment
could be reduced by ~50-80% (Olst et al 53). This can save the farmer a significant amount of
money, and if additional alternatives, such as brewers yeast or wheat bran are used, the fish
products can be cut even further before negative effects in the fish begin to appear (Li et al 990).
Discovering these alternative aquafeeds remains one of the most important facets of research in
the aquaculture industry. Cheaper, renewable alternatives are the ultimate goal to promote the

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continuation and growth of fish culture as the worlds protein demands increase and as wild
protein sources decrease. Fortunately, the hybrid striped bass culture industry is a big step ahead
of other divisions in the aquaculture sector, and will continue to remain an important source of
food for many years to come.

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