Stress Response of Siniperca chuatsi to Transport Stimuli Using Compound Feed and Live Bait

This study addresses the challenge of transitioning Siniperca chuatsi (mandarin fish) from live bait (LF) to compound feed (CF) in aquaculture by examining their stress responses during short-distance transportation. The aim was to compare the physiological and biochemical differences between CF-fed and LF-fed fish under transport stress. The results showed that CF-fed fish exhibited higher levels of lysozyme (LZM) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA), triglycerides (TGs), and glucose in multiple tissues (brain, liver, kidneys, muscles, stomach, pyloric caecum, intestines, and blood) compared to LF-fed fish ( p < 0.05), indicating greater energy retention and microbial resistance but weaker antioxidant capacity. The intestine was particularly affected by dietary differences. This study concludes that while CF-fed S. chuatsi demonstrate benefits in energy metabolism and microbial defense, their reduced antioxidant capacity highlights the need for future research to improve CF formulations to enhance oxidative stress resistance. These findings are valuable for optimizing aquaculture practices, ensuring healthier fish production, and supporting sustainable feed development in the industry. The transition from live bait (LF) feeding to compound feed (CF) feeding in aquaculture is of great production significance. In recent decades, cultivation with CF has become a focus for practitioners and researchers dealing with Siniperca chuatsi . This study focused on experimental subjects of S. chuatsi fed with CF and LF, using short-distance transportation as a stimulating factor. For the first time, the differences between S. chuatsi fed with CF and LF were analyzed from the perspective of stress response during transportation. This study found that after transportation stimulation, the activities of LZM and the contents of MDA, TGs, and glucose in the brain, liver, kidneys, muscles, stomach, pyloric caecum, intestines, and blood of S. chuatsi fed with CF were higher compared to S. chuatsi fed with LF ( p < 0.05). Significant differences were observed in the impacts of various diets on the gastrointestinal tract, particularly in the intestine. In summary, this study found that S. chuatsi fed with CF could retain more energy after transport stimulation and exhibited stronger resistance to microbial stress, but they had a weaker antioxidant capacity. Therefore, in future research on CF for S. chuatsi , we need to focus on its ability to enhance antioxidant capacity.