Effect of starvation on some morphological and biochemical parameters in white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus

A 10 week study was conducted to determine the effect of starvation on morphological and biochemical parameters in subyearling white sturgeon. The fish were implanted with passive integrated transponder tags so that body weight change of individual fish could be determined. Ten fish were sampled once every 2 weeks. Carcass:body weight percentage, viscerosomatic index, hepatosomatic index, chemical composition of carcass and viscera, plasma glucose, protein and triacylglycerol, liver glycogen, and activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme, and NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase in liver tissue were measured from individual sturgeon, All parameters were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by duration of starvation. Furthermore, the results indicated that proportionally viscera lost more weight than carcass, and lipid of these tissues showed a higher reduction than protein in the 10 week starvation. This suggested that viscera was the preferred tissue over muscle, and lipid was the preferred nutrient over protein for mobilization in the subyearling white sturgeon starved for 10 weeks. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.