A Preliminary Study on the Growth and Feeding of Rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli, in Illuminated Sea Cages

The natural high productivity of temperate coastal waters in Korea can be used in advantage to reduce the feed costs for the cage-cultured marine carnivorous fish species. By using the night-lights methods an alternative of supplementary feeding strategy can be offered to the cage farmers and maintain sound environmental conditions that could enhance maximum sustainable yields. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of night-lights which shown positive results on feeding and growth in sea cage cultured rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli. The study showed that for the water around overhead illuminated sea cage, higher zooplankton density was observed at night than during the daytime. Increased amounts of for-age, evidenced by stomach content analyses were observed in the early evening, but decreased amounts were observed in the morning and afternoon. That is, feeding activities of the fish were most intensive from midnight to dawn. In a three month feeding experiment, the results showed that night-lighted groups were superior to groups with the highest feeding efficient. This study suggested that the evidence that night-lights superimposed on only day-lights enhance growth of rockfish in sea cages during summer and winter, with timing of exposure affecting growth of juvenile fish. The capability to control the feeding behavior of marine life via manipulation and external stimuli could considerably benefit the advancement of sea cage aquaculture in coastal areas.