Dietary flexibility differs between wild- and domesticated-origin Eurasian perch larvae from contrasting broodstock histories: implications for aquaculture of emerging species

Abstract

Abstract The domestication of fish is a key step in aquaculture, shaping traits required for adaptation to captive rearing conditions. Previous studies suggested that domesticated Eurasian perch ( Perca fluviatilis ) larvae perform well on formulated feeds, whereas wild-origin larvae exhibit greater dietary flexibility. We hypothesized that larvae originating from wild broodstock would better cope with alternative protein sources than larvae from domesticated broodstock. To test this, we compared the zootechnical performance, digestive enzyme activity, and digestive gene expression of wild- and domesticated-origin larvae fed diets containing soybean meal, poultry meal, or their combination, using a commercial high-fishmeal diet as the control. Wild-origin larvae generally performed better on alternative protein diets, whereas domesticated-origin larvae achieved the best growth on the control diet, indicating a diet-dependent performance trade-off rather than an overall advantage of either group. These findings should be interpreted with caution because the wild and domesticated broodstocks originated from different geographic populations and did not share a common ancestral background. Nevertheless, the observed differences are consistent with the hypothesis that broodstock history and previous nutritional experience may influence the dietary adaptability of offspring. Our results suggest that maintaining traits associated with dietary flexibility may facilitate the transition toward more sustainable aquafeeds and should be considered when developing future breeding and domestication strategies for Eurasian perch.