| Compensatory growth is the period of rapid growth, greater than normal or control growth, that occurs after refeeding following a period of undernutrition or starvation that results in weight loss. Compensatory growth has been documented in several species of salmonids at different life stages from swim-up fry, that experience a delay at first feeding, to juvenile and mature fish refed after varying periods of starvation. Fish that experience compensatory growth not only grow faster than controls, they use feed more efficiently and 'catch-up' to continuously fed controls if the starvation-refeeding cycle is appropriate to the species. In addition, these fish exhibit smaller size variances than controls.;Control of the compensatory growth response can result in significant reductions in the cost of production of farmed fish as well as increases in the size and uniformity of the final products. The implications of the compensatory growth response for the aquaculture of salmonids is discussed.;Although compensatory growth is well documented, it is poorly understood. This paper reviews the recent research in fish and discusses some of the mechanisms that may be involved in eliciting the response. |
