the influence of stocking density on growth performance and hematological profile of stellate sturgeon (a. stellatus, pallas, 1771), reared in an industrial ,, flow-through’’ aquaculture system

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of four different stocking densities, ranging from 18.7 to 28.6 kg m3, on growth performance and welfare of juvenile stellate sturgeons, reared in an industrial ,,flow-through’’ aquaculture system. At the end of 60 days experimental period, a survival rate of 98% and a stocking density that ranged from 32.5 to 39.8 kg m-3 were registered. The physiological state of biological material is characterized by the values ​​of hematological indices, that are not significant from the statistical point of view (p> 0.05), both at the beginning and at the end of experimental period, as well as between experimental variants. To assess the biological material growth performance, feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR) and profile index were calculated. Regarding the growth performance parameters, better value are encountered at B1 (18.7 kg m-3) and B3 (23.3 kg m-3), appreciable values ​​at B2 (20.4 kg m-3) and low values at B4 (28.6 kg m-3). As conclusion, it can be assert that the initial stocking density of 28.6 kg m-3 is not optimal for rearing juvenile stellate sturgeons in an industrial ,,flow-through’’ aquaculture system.