Stress Responses and Gonadosomatic Index of Red Tilapia (Oreochromis Spp.) Subjected To Visual And Physical Interactions

Document Type : Original Article

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College of Fisheries- Freshwater Aquaculture Center, Central Luzon State University, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija 3120, Philippines

Abstract

Red tilapia is a popular cultured species due to its attractive color and excellent growth and feed conversion rates. In this study, the effect of visual and physical interactions on the ventilation rate (VR), eye color pattern (ECP), and Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) of red tilapia was evaluated. There were four treatments in the study: T1 (No Interaction); T2 (Visual Interaction); T3 (Visual and Physical Interactions) and; T4 (Physical Interaction). Changes in VR and ECP were monitored for 15 days, while GSI was computed at the end of the study. The mean VR and ECP of the red tilapia exposed to visual and/or physical interactions were significantly higher compared to those in the control (P˂0.05). However, the fastest VR and darkest ECP were observed in T3. This conforms to the results of GSI wherein T3 had the lowest GSI which may be due to the higher level of stress experienced by fish in T3 compared to other treatments. On the other hand, T4 had the highest female GSI as opposite sex fish were exposed to physical interaction. Communication between sexual partners modulates reproductive behavior.

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