Partial Substitution of Fishmeal with Plant Protein Source the Soybean Meal in the Diets of Arabian Yellowfin Seabream Acanthopagrus arabicus Juveniles

The present study was designed to assess the alternate environmental friendly source of protein; here we report the suitability of soybean meal as a plant protein source for partial replacement of fishmeal in the diet of Arabian yellowfin seabream Acanthopagrus arabicus; reared in floating net cages. A total of 56 days feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, feed utilization, survival, and carcass composition of the juveniles. Triplicate groups (30 fish/cage) of A. arabicus (initial weight 22.61 ± 0.11 g) were stocked in floating net cages (1.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 m). Five semi-purified experimental diets, each containing 42% dietary protein, were prepared where fishmeal was replaced with soybean meal: 0% (control), 20% (SBM20), 40% (SBM40), 60% (SBM60) and 80% (SBM80). Fish were fed twice daily at 7% body weight. The formulated diet was well accepted by the fish, where, 100% of survival was recorded at the end of the experiment. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in final weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) of juvenile Arabian yellowfin seabream fed on SBM20 and SBM40 diets compared to the control diet. However, a decline in growth performance was recorded in fish received SBM60 and SBM80 diets. Poor feed conversion ratio (FCR) was observed for fish fed with increasing dietary soybean meal above SBM40. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were found in the final whole-body carcass composition of proteins, moisture, and ash. However, the lipid content in the fish body increased significantly (P < 0.05) with an increasing soybean meal and fish oil in the diets. Our results showed that 40% of SBM could substitute fishmeal without jeopardizing the health and growth of Arabian yellowfin seabream.