Ration, Growth, and Measures of Somatic and Organ Condition in Relation to Meal Frequency in Winter Flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, with Hypotheses Regarding Population Homeostasis

Six ration levels were established among 120 large, adult winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) by setting different feeding frequencies, but with unlimited feeding at each meal. All fish were maintained at 7 C. With decrease in feeding frequency, fish ate less food per month but more food per meal — i.e. ration compensation was attempted. At the lowest frequency, two meals per month, fish did not compensate. At any one feeding frequency, fish ate progressively more per meal from the first to the fourth (final) month of the experiment.Maintenance ration was 7.9 gcal/g per day. Weight loss on starvation was equivalent to 2.14–2.35 gcal/g per day. Gross conversion efficiency ranged from 1 to 16%, and was positively correlated with ration. Net conversion efficiency averages 24.3% and was not related to ration.Positive correlations were found between mean calories consumed per day and condition, liver weight, percent fat in the liver, percent of fish with yolk-bearing ovaries, ovary weight, and perc...