Soybean Meal Use-Australian Red Claw Crayfish

A pond experiment was conducted using four practical feeds containing two protein levels (20 or 28%) and formulated using menhaden fish meal or a combination of plant protein ingredients (soybean meal, distiller’s dried grains with solubles and milo). Juvenile red claw (average weight 5.75g) were stocked into twelve ponds at the rate of 25,000/ha and each feed was fed to three ponds. At the end of the 97-day study, results indicated that the red claw ponds fed the feeds with 28% protein grew faster (P>0.05) compared to the ponds fed the lower protein level, whereas, feed conversion ratio, percent survival and total yield among treatments were not significantly different. The effects of diet showed that the red claw in ponds fed the fish meal gained 836% during the experiment, whereas the combination of plant ingredients gained 879%. These results indicate that pond-cultured red claw, stocked at 25,000/ha, can be fed a practical diet containing 28% protein without fish meal if a combination of protein is fed. This plant-based feed also out-performed an 18% protein feed that contained 7.3% fish meal. These results also indicate that plant-protein ingredients may successfully replace fish meal in red claw feeds. Replacing the expensive fish meal protein ingredient with plant-based protein sources will help producers reduce feed costs and increase profits.

Thompson, K.R. and co-workers. 2006. Effects of feeding practical diets containing different protein levels, with or without fish meal, on growth, survival, body composition and processing traits of male and female Australian red claw (Cherax quadricarinatus) grown in ponds. Aquaculture Nutr. 12(3): 117-138.