| Summary: | Biodensity is a major factor affecting the production and welfare of farmed fishes. Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) were held at biodensities of 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 kg/m3 during a 91 day study. Biodensity was found to have no significant effect on mortality, wet mass, fork length, condition factor, HSI, VSI, eviscerated carcass mass or fin damage, or on white muscle protein synthesis. Growth rates were lower in charr reared at high biodensities (120, and 150 kg/m3), and feed efficiency was negatively affected at both the highest (120, and 150 kg/m3) and lowest (30 kg/m3) biodensities. Muscle protein content was lowest in charr reared at 90 kg/m3. Plasma cortisol indicated that Arctic charr are more stressed at lower biodensities, but was not correlated with growth or feed efficiency. The results support an optimal biodensity range for charr culture between 60 and 90 kg/m3 to optimize production and welfare. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
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