Over the years, Seriola spp. has emerged as an important economic fish in several parts of the world. Notably, the Japanese Amberjack (S. quinqueradiata) has been cultured in Japan commercially for decades. In the United States, S. dorsalis and S. dumerili are grown in small net-pen operations. In addition, RAS-based farms in Europe, and more recently, in the United States have been operating for a few years. California yellowtail S. dorsalis has been the subject of research efforts at the Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute for the past 20 years, which were focused on reproduction and nutrition.
We present an overview of key nutrition results obtained over the years, as well as recent findings toward the refinement of practical diets. Notably, feed formulations were modernized to reduce the inclusion of fish meal and oil, through the systematic evaluation of terrestrial and algae-based ingredients. This work was also supported by projects refining the dietary requirements of key nutrients such as taurine and methionine, and their interaction with the diet matrix. Additionally, a series of trials focused on the balance of carbohydrates and lipids as energy sources.
Overall, considerable progress has been made to the diets for the California yellowtail which should help facilitate species specific feed formulations.