Experimental culture of Common Snook Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch, 1792) and Fat Snook Centropomus parallelus (Poey, 1860) (Perciformes: Centropomidae) in freshwater in concrete pond in Alvarado, Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE IN MEXICO OF THE COMMON SNOOK (CENTROPOMUS UNDECIMALIS) AND THE FAT SNOOK (CENTROPOMUS PARALLELUS), A RESEARCH WAS CARRIED OUT TO EVALUATE THE GROWING OF THESE SPECIES IN FRESHWATER, IN A 3:2 RATIO AND 12.5 FISH/7M2. A TOTAL OF 200 FISH WERE USED (68 COMMON SNOOKS AND 132 FAT SNOOKS) WHICH WERE WEIGHED AND MEASURED MONTHLY FOR A 12-MONTH PERIOD. THE GROWING CURVE WAS ESTIMATED FOR WEIGHT AND LENGTH WITH A LOGARITHMIC MODEL Y = ABT, WHILE IN THE WEIGHT-LENGTH RELATIONSHIP THE W = ALB, MODEL WAS USED. THE RESULTS SHOWED AN ISOMETRIC GROWTH ON BOTH SPECIES, 3.02 FOR THE COMMON SNOOK AND 3.13, FOR THE FAT SNOOK. THE ABSOLUTE LENGTH RATES WERE 17.3 ± 0.74 CM AND 14.9 ± 2.6 CM, RESPECTIVELY, WITH A DAILY GROWIN OF 0.047 AND 0.041 CM, WHILE THE ABSOLUTE WEIGHT RATE WAS 183.6 ± 2.02 G AND 118.1 ± 1.38 G, WITH A DAILY PROFIT OF 0.50 AND 0.32 G FOR THE COMMON SNOOK AND FAT SNOOK, RESPECTIVELY. THE GROWING SIZE SPEED WAS SIMILAR ON BOTH SPECIES, 0.063 FOR THE COMMON SNOOK AND 0.085 FOR THE FAT SNOOK; HOWEVER, THE WEIGHT INCREMENT OF THE FAT SNOOK SHOWED GREATER SPEED THAN THE ONE OF THE COMMON SNOOK, 0.273 AND 0.179, UNDER AN AD LIBITUM FEED SYSTEM IN FRESHWATER CONCRETE POND FOR 365 DAYS.