• Table 1. Percentage ingredient composition of basal diets used in the various experiments. 
• Table 2. Dietary treatments for each experiment
• Table 3. Mean of performance, dressout, and body composition data of channel catfish
  fed diets containing various concentrations of dietary protein (Experiment 1).
• Table 4. Mean of performance data of channel catfish fed diets containing various concentrations of dietary protein (Experiment 2).
• Table 5. Mean of dressout and body composition data of channel catfish
  fed diets containing various concentrations of dietary protein (Experiment 2).
• Table 6. Mean of performance, dressout, and body composition data of channel catfish fed a 28% or a 32% protein diet (Experiment 3).
• Table 7. Mean of performance, dressout, and body composition data of channel catfish fed a 28% or a 32% protein diet (Experiment 4).
• Table 8. Mean of performance data of channel catfish fed diets containing various concentration of dietary protein at two feeding rates (Experiment 5).

Table 1. Percentage ingredient composition of basal diets used in the various experiments. ¹

Ingredients

Pct. protein

28

32

Soybean meal (48%)²

26.3

36.1

Cottonseed meal (41%)²

12.0

12.0

Menhaden fish meal (61%)²

4.0

8.0

Meat and bone/blood meal (65%)²

4.0

0.0

Corn screenings

46.2

36.7

Wheat middlings

4.0

4.0

Dicalcium phosphate

1.25

1.0

Trace mineral premix³

0.025

0.025

Vitamin C-free premix⁴

0.1

0.1

Stay C⁵

0.125

0.125

Catfish oil

2.0

2.0

DE/P ratio⁶

10.0

9.1

¹A general description of diets used in each experiment is given in sections covering specific experiments. In this table, percentage ingredient composition is presented on an as-fed basis.
²Percentage of protein.
³Meets National Research Council (1983) requirements for catfish (Nutritional Requirements of Warmwater Fishes and Shellfishes, National Academy of Science, Washington DC).
⁴Meets National Research Council (1983) requirements for catfish (Nutritional Requirements of Warmwater Fishes and Shellfishes, National Academy of Science, Washington DC), except for vitamin C.
⁵Stay C™, manufactured by Hoffmann LaRoche, Inc. of Nutley, NJ, has 15% activity.
⁶DE/P = digestible energy to protein ratio.

Table 2. Dietary treatments for each experiment.

Experiment number

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

% protein

% protein

% protein

% protein

% protein/
feeding rate

% protein/
feeding rate)

% protein

% 
animal
protein

% animal

protein

% protein/
animal protein

% protein/
animal protein

26

16

28

28

24/S1

28/803

28

8 (MFM⁴⁾

0

28/0

26/0

28

20

32

32

24/R2

28/1003

32

8 (MBBM⁵)

8

28/8

26/2

32

24

28/S

28/1203

32/0

26/4

35

28

28/R

28/S

32/8

26/6

32

32/S

32/80

28/0

32/R

32/100

28/2

32/120

28/4

32/S

28/6

32/0

32/2

32/4

32/6

¹S = satiation.
²R = restricted.
³Maximum feeding rate (pounds/acre/day).
⁴Menhaden fish meal.
⁵Meat and bone/blood meal.

Table 3. Mean of performance, dressout, and body composition data of channel catfish
fed diets containing various concentrations of dietary protein (Experiment 1).¹

Fillet composition

Dietary protein²

Weight gain³

Carcass dressout

Visceral 
fat

Fat

Protein

Moisture

%

lb/fish

%

%

%

%

%

26

0.98

63.3 a

2.7

5.6

15.8 b

77.3

28

0.96

63.5 a

3.0

5.2

16.4 ab

76.8

32

0.93

62.4 ab

2.9

5.4

16.6 a

76.5

35

0.93

61.8 b

2.9

5.2

16.9 a

76.4

¹Data were based on a sample of 500 fish per pond. Stocking rate was 10,000 fish per acre. Fish were fed to satiation once daily. Means within a column followed by the different letters were different (P < 0.05).
²Digestible energy to protein ratios: 26% protein diet, 10.8 kcal/g protein; 28%, 10.1 kcal/g; 32%, 9.1 kcal/g; and 35%, 8.4 kcal/g.
³Mean initial weight was 500 pounds per 1,000 fish.

Table 4. Mean of performance data of channel catfish fed diets containing various concentrations of dietary protein (Experiment 2).¹

Dietary protein²

Weight
gain³

Feed
consumption⁴

FCR5

Survival

Hematocrit

%

lb/fish

lb/fish

%

%

16

0.62 b

0.93 ab

1.49 a

96.6

27.1

20

0.65 b

0.95 ab

1.46 ab

97.6

27.9

24

0.72 a

1.01 a

1.40 bc

91.0

28.3

28

0.73 a

0.98 a

1.35 cd

96.0

28.0

32

0.68 ab

0.88 b

1.30 d

92.5

27.3

¹Means within a column followed by the different letters were different (P < 0.05).
²Digestible energy to protein ratios: 16% protein diet, 16.2 kcal/g protein; 20%, 13.1 kcal/g; 24%, 11.3 kcal/g; 28%, 9.7 kcal/g; and 32%, 8.9 kcal/g.
³Mean initial weight was 60 pounds per 1,000 fish. Stocking rate was 10,000 fish per acre.
⁴Fish were fed to satiation once daily.
⁵Feed conversion ratio.

Table 5. Mean of dressout and body composition data of channel catfish
fed diets containing various concentrations of dietary protein (Experiment 2).¹

Fillet composition

Dietary protein2

Carcass dressout

Visceral fat

Protein

Fat

Moisture

Ash

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

16

55.1

5.2 a

15.7 c

8.2 a

74.4 b

1.10 b

20

55.7

4.5 b

15.6 c

7.8 a

75.0 ab

1.15 ab

24

56.2

3.8 c

16.1 bc

5.8 b

76.4 a

1.21 a

28

56.5

3.2 d

17.2 ab

5.2 bc

76.1 ab

1.21 a

32

57.0

3.1 d

18.2 a

4.4 c

76.1 ab

1.12 b

¹Means within a column followed by the different letters were different (P < 0.05).
²Digestible energy to protein ratios: 16% protein diet, 16.2 kcal/g protein; 20%, 13.1 kcal/g; 24%, 11.3 kcal/g; 28%, 9.7 kcal/g; and 32%, 8.9 kcal/g.

Table 6. Mean of performance, dressout, and body composition data of channel catfish fed a 28% or a 32% protein diet (Experiment 3).¹

Fillet composition

Dietary protein²

Weight gain³

Feed consumption⁴

FCR5

Carcass cressout

Visceral fat

Protein

Fat

Moisture

%

lb/fish

lb/fish

%

%

%

%

%

28

1.03

1.24

1.27

60.6

2.9

15.2

6.6 a

76.1 b

32

0.92

1.27

1.37

61.3

3.0

14.7

5.1 b

78.9 a

¹Means within a column followed by the different letters were different (P < 0.05).
²Digestible energy to protein ratios: 28% protein diet, 10 kcal/g protein; and 32%, 8.7 kcal/g.
³Mean initial weight was 77 pounds per 1,000 fish. Stocking rate was 6,000 fish per acre.
⁴Fish were fed to satiation once daily.
⁵Feed conversion ratio.

Table 7. Mean of performance, dressout, and body composition data of channel catfish fed a 28% or a 32% protein diet (Experiment 4).¹

Fillet composition

Dietary protein²

Weight gain³

Feed consumption⁴

FCR

Carcass dressout

Visceral fat

Protein

Fat

Moisture

%

lb/fish

lb/fish

%

%

%

%

%

28

0.75 a

1.00 a

1.35

61.8

3.1

17.6

7.6

74.2

32

0.61

0.83

1.34

62.2

3.4

17.1

6.1

75.1

¹Means within a column followed by the different letters were different (P < 0.05).
²Digestible energy to protein ratios: 28% protein diet, 10.2 kcal/g protein; and 32%, 9.1 kcal/g.
³Mean initial weight was 80 pounds per 1,000 fish. Stocking rate was 10,000 fish per acre.
⁴Fish were fed to satiation once daily.
⁵Feed conversion ratio.

Table 8. Mean of performance data of channel catfish fed diets containing various concentration of dietary protein at two feeding rates (Experiment 5).

Dietary protein¹

Feeding 
rate²

Feed consumption

Weight 
gain³

FCR⁴

Survival

%

lb/fish

lb/fish

%

Individual treatment means⁵

24

Restricted

2.04

1.13

1.80

92.7

24

Satiation

2.12

1.17

1.81

94.9

28

Restricted

1.97

1.11

1.78

99.8

28

Satiation

2.05

1.16

1.76

96.7

32

Restricted

2.07

1.20

1.73

97.6

32

Satiation

2.08

1.18

1.77

91.9

Pooled means⁶

24

2.08

1.15

1.80

93.8

28

2.01

1.13

1.77

98.2

32

2.08

1.19

1.75

94.8

Restricted

2.02

1.14

1.77

96.7

Satiation

2.08

1.17

1.78

94.5

Analysis of variance⁷

Feeding rate

NS

NS

NS

NS

Dietary protein

NS

NS

NS

NS

Interaction

NS

NS

NS

NS

¹Digestible energy to protein ratios: 24% protein diet, 11.7 kcal/g protein; 28%, 10.2 kcal/g; and 32%, 9 kcal/g.
²Restricted = not more than 120 pounds of feed per acre per day.
³Mean initial weight was 820 pounds per 1,000 fish. Stocking rate was 7,000 fish per acre.
⁴Feed conversion ratio.
⁵Least significant difference (LSD) test was not conducted because the interaction was not significant.
⁶The LSD test was not conducted because the main effects were not significant.
⁷NS = not significant (P > 0.05).