Growth, maturation and flesh quality control in on-growing Atlantic cod in the North Norway region

The proposed project aims at optimizing conditions during the on-growing phase of Atlantic cod and improving flesh quality of the end product. The effect of photoperiod in combination with feed cycling on maturation, and the underlying endocrine mechanism s involved, will be thoroughly investigated. The approach is multifactorial, and aims at investigating and exploiting basic physiological mechanisms under various rearing conditions, while at the same time linking those mechanisms with fish growth perform ance and quality of the end product. With the right strategy, we believe that results generated in the proposed project could be utilized in the industry both in terms of increasing growth, reducing maturation and improving flesh quality, while at the sam e time reducing feed and labour costs. The proposed project will utilize different photoperiods in combination with new feeding regimes, i.e. exploiting cycles of restricted rations and re-feeding in the commercial production of farmed cod, to control gro wth, maturation, manipulate the final composition of the body tissues and improve growth efficiency. The project will investigate: - How fasting periods can initiate compensatory growth in cod, and thus reduce feed and labour costs. - Control of maturatio n in cod by manipulating photoperiods in combination with starvation periods. - The underlying endocrine mechanisms involved in the maturation process in response to the various treatments assigned. - The effect of feed cycling on biomass production in th e on-growing phase of cod, and how such starvation periods affects flesh quality.