Last Update: 6 December 2017 Part I

FT 35
Principal of Fish Growth
Growth is very complex biological process involving cell division, enlargement of
new cells and their differentiation in different types of tissues. Though the fate of growth is
different in plants and animals but the principle of growth are quite same in the both cases.
Definition: Apart from the cell division and enlargement of new cells, growth is also
associated with an increase in the dry weight of the growing parts, so it can be defined as the
change in the size (length and weight) over time or energetically change in calories and
stored in so matic abd reoroductive tissue.
The energetic definition of the growth is particularly useful for understanding the
factors that affect growth in fishes become injected food energy, measured in calories must
emerge either as energy expanded for metabolism or growth or as energy execrated.
The metabolic energy expenditure can include calories expanded for:
1) Body maintenance and repair.
2) For digesting food, respiration and least beat (BMR).
3) Movement.
The excreated energy can take the form of :
1) Facces
2) Ammonia
3) Area and a small quantities of mucaus and slought epidermal scalls of fish.
The remaining factors in the energetic equation of growth is
I=M+G+E
Where, I = injected food energy, M = expanded for metabolism; G = growth ;
E = excreation.
Phases of Growth: Growth occurs in three phases:
1) The phase of cell formation in which the new cells are formed and number of
cells is increased in the organism.
2) The phase of cell maturation in which individual cells become matured and
expand and more efficient at that time.
3) The phases of cell enlongalion in which maximum elongatia and specialization
of cells occurs.
Course of Growth:
Growth is not a gradual process rather it is dynamic and varies in course of life even under
constant environmental conditions. If the change in dry weight is plotted against time, and
S-shaped or sigmoid curve, called the grand-period curve, is obtained.
It is seen from the curve that growth is slow at the initial stage (Lag phase); at the next
phase (Log phase) the growth rate increase until it reaches a phase of steady state. The total
period of this course of growth is called the grand period of Growth. After the steady state
the organisms or its parts undergoes Senescence and death.
Factors which affect on the Growth in fish:-
Growth is positive, i.e. increase the weight over time, so energy balance in
metabolism is indicated. Metabolism is the sum of catabolism and anabolism, thus rate of
anabolism is the principle factors controlling process of growth are growth hormones secreted
by pituitary and steroids hormones from the gonads but the rate of growth is highly variable
because it is greatly dependent on a variety of interacting environmental factors. This factors
are acts on the macromolecule and caused either structural or three dimentional
conformational changes and a result structure function relationship reduces of the
macromolecule of enzymes. However, all the environmental factors not only acts on
organism longly but their cumulative action also considered such factors interacts with each
other to influence growth rate and other factors such as:
1) Degree of competition, either of intraspecific or interspecific.
2) The amount and quality of food injected and
3) The age and state of maturity of the fish.
1. External factors: External factors affecting animal growth are mainly as follows.
a) Temperature: Growth like all other metabolic activities, depends on chemical
changes catalized by enzymes. An enzyme action requires a specific range of temperature,
extreme cold may depress growth by inhibiting enzyme-catalized reaction. And this reaction
is greatly affected to growth in cold-blooded animals increase temperature should to
increased the food in take as well as increased maintenance requirements.
The rate of growth will vary with the ability of the fish to digest more food than
required for maintenance. The excepted relationship between temperature and growth is that
there will be little or no growth bellow the certain temperature; above this, growth rate should
increased with temperature to a maximum than decrease perhaps becoming negative at
temperature approaching lethal limits.
Why ? Because of the macromolecule i.e. the protein in the form of enzyme acts on the
substrate by the binding its active sites as a lock & key mechanisms, but the macromolecular
structure i.e., the three dimensional structure made up with the influence of several force by
which form several week bend infrastructure of this molecule, with the fluctuation of
temperature this week bonds were breakdown and as a result the macromolecular structure
become altered therefore macromolecule did not perfectly done its specific functions.
Therefore the enzyme acting is greatly altered.-resulting growth is collapsed.
b) Dissolved oxygen: Dissolves oxygen in the water is also under influence of
temperature, often by themselves can considered as an important factors for growth of any
organisms including fishes. Stwert et al.,1967 showed that a significance reduction in growth
rate and food conversion efficiency in juvenile large mouth bass, when Dissolved oxygen
concentration fall below the approximately 5mg / lit at 26o C. Presumably the reduced
oxygen below this tresh-hold precludes extra, acrobic energy requiring activity such as
growth and reproduction above maintenance energy costs.
The fishes called the Oxygen regulator and including large mouth bass Cat fish,
straits mullets maintain a homeostatic level of metabolism till oxygen level were reduced.
The mechanism of regulation is not so efficient when the dissolved oxygen become
considerably depleated or low level for long time then the fishes faced to hypoxic condition
because the requirement of oxygen in metabolic processes like in Glycolysis and TCA cycle
become scanty as a result the energy bound compounds i.e. ATP not produced as well
therefore the fishes become fatigue with the presence of extra amount of lactic acid in their
muscles. And the high amount of dissolved oxygen also caused deleterious effect on the fish
growth by means of several indirect ways. In the oxygen regulatory fishes, have developed
certain device by which they may overcome the hypoxic stress condition for considerable
time.
c) Ammonia (NH3): Although the ammonia is the primary excretory product but its
accumulation in high concentration in the blood slowdown growth rate of the animals
specially ammiotelic organisms i.e. fish. Clot &Tehob-anohlous 1978 showed that dropped
in the weight in juvenile cat fish with increasing NH3 in the surrounding water.
Although NH3 in natural compound its affect are typical of any pollutants which also
reduced Growth rates when present at sub lethal level. High NH3 level increases the
metabolic rate like other pollutants, under severe stress metabolism may deceased as a means
of conserving energy and this often occurs in case of low concentration of dissolved oxygen.
d) Salinity: Salinity also affects the growth rate, eurihaline desert pup fish shows
maxumum growth rate at 35% salinity compaired with both higher and lower salinities (
Kinne- 1960) Growth is alter energy demanding compounds responds to environmental
characteristic. This responses increase maintenance energy requirement constant.
e) Competition: Either within or among the species for limited food supply may slow
growth, the presence of other species of fishes can reduces the growth rate through
interference of exploitaion competition. Where fishes are crowded together on fish farm, the
fish often have to be graded for size at regular intervals to separate the larger dominant fish
from smaller subordinates.
f) Food availability: Growth largely depends on the fish obtaining sufficient food but at
the fish grows it can take a wide range of prey. This changes being diet can then have affects
on the further growth of the fish. It is to be noted that food availability also interacts with
other factors particularly temperature to affect the growth of fishes on a seasonal besis.
It is to be noted that in spite of the advance of food excessive temperature reduces the
assimilation efficiency and this is done by neurohormonal control mechanisms via
hypothalamus.
g) Age and Maturity: Age and Maturity usually are best predictors of relative growth.
Although the absolute growth rate are strongly influenced by environmental factors. Fish
typically grow very rapidly in length in first few months or years of the life until maturing
then the increasing amounts of energy are diverted from growth of somatic tissue to growth
of gonadal tissue. So the growth rates of matured fishes are much slower than those of
immature fishes.
h) Light: Effect of light on the rate of growth is not generally considered but endocrine
glands are affected by light and may have some influencing affect on growth. Under natural
condition in temperate zone cyclical variation of temperature and light are nearly in phase
and this make its difficult to separate that effects. Brown 1946 Swift and Quasion-1955
shows some effect of light on growth on some fishes. The recent studies showed that in blue
light cell division takes place but cell elonglation is retarded; red light inhibit cell division but
promote cell web-length of light effect on growth in various way.
2) Internal Factors: There are internal factors influciencing the growth rate of any
individuals; these are mainly enzymes which function are described above and Hormones.
a. Hormones: Various hormones influence body growth in animals.
1) Growth Hormone - Growth hormone of anterior pituitary promotes retention of protein,
calcium, phosphorus, etc, in the body, increases synthesis of proteins and nuclic acid,
and thereby stimulates growth of long bones, muscles as well as visceral organs.
2) Thyroid Hormone - A thyroid hormone increases the growth and also by promoting
energy production in the tissues for supplying the energy for growth processes; thyroid
hormones are essential for metamorphosis.
 3) Sex. Hormone- the sudden increase in growth rate in males at the time of puberty of
sexual maturity is due to the action of the male sex horme- testosterone, which begins to
secreted from testis at that time ; in formal the growth spurt at the puberty id caused by
the sex-cotricoids, called endrogens, similar to the male sex hormones in effect and
secreted from the adrenal cortex in increased amount at that time.
4) Insulin- the pancreatic hormone insulin also promotes growth by increasing the
utilization of carbohydrates for energy production and thereby reducing protein
catabolism as well as enhancing the synthesis of tissue proteins. Growth fails in diabetic
condition of animal suffering from failure of insulin secretion.
3) Genetic Factors : Hereditary characters, inherited through genes, from the basis of
all growth processes of the animal and determine the specific growth pattern, developmental
characteristics and the magnitude as well ad the duration of growth of the animals. Growth of
an animals may be affected by the other factors which described above; mainly by the
modification of basic nature, patterns and extend of growth already laid down by genes,
Now a days only alternating /introducing the growth promoting genes into the fishes
(Transgenic fishes) by means of methods of biotechnology the growth rate can be enhanced
beyond the species specific growth capacity.