Body composition (carbon, nitrogen and calories) and energetics of immature walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma (Pallas), in the southeast Bering Sea

Abstract

The body composition (carbon, nitrogen and calories) of Bering Sea and Resurrection Bay (Alaska) immature walleye pollock (9-360 g wet weight) were related to dry weight and Fulton's condition factor index by regression models. The condition factor was a better predictor of body composition than dry weight. As condition improved from a minimum starvation level of 0.42 to a maximum of 1.16, body caloric, percent carbon, and the carbon-nitrogen ratio increased, while percent nitrogen and percent ash decreased. The body composition measurements allowed energy budget terms (assimilation coefficient, growth, and metabolism) to be expressed in common units. The assimilation coefficient and growth terms were estimated from literature sources. Oxygen consumption measurements at 3-10°C yielded the metabolic term. The daily food requirement for 0-3 year old walleye pollock, at their annual average Bering Sea habitat temperature of 3.8°C, was 1.0 - 1.5% of the body weight.