EFFECTS OF PROTEIN‐ENERGY RATIOS ON GROWTH OF AMERICAN LOBSTERS (Homarus americanus)

Pre-molt adult lobsters in stage D0 to D1 were fed undefined artificial diets with protein-energy ratios of 0.07 to 0.15 in which caloric densities remained constant or varied from 2.34 to 4.48 kcal/g. Growth was measured by change in wet weight in air. There were no significant differences between diets after 8 weeks. When similar diets were fed to post-molt adult lobsters (stages A1-A2), there was a significant increase in weight of lobsters fed diets with protein-energy ratio of 0.07 and caloric density of 2.34 kcal/g as compared to pre-molt lobsters, indicating that stage of molt significantly affects dietary response. Similar results were also found within juvenile feeding trials.