Effect of the Use of a Cofeeding Diet, Natura™ pRo, in Meagre Argyrosomus regius

A commercial-scale trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the cofeeding diet Natura™ pRo combined with a rotifer reduction strategy during the early larval rearing of meagre (Argyrosomus regius). Two treatments were evaluated: a control group adhering to a standard hatchery protocol with conventional rotifer concentrations, and a Natura™ treatment utilizing an INVE cofeeding strategy targeting rotifer replacement. Larval growth (total length), survival at first grading, and total rotifer consumption were evaluated. Larvae fed Natura™ pRo achieved a final total length of 7.8 mm at 23 days post-hatch (DPH) compared to 7.5 mm in the control group (+4% growth). Survival at first grading increased from 24% in the control to 34% in the Natura™ group, representing a 41.7% relative improvement. Total rotifer consumption decreased from 34.2 billion per million fry in the control to 13.9 billion per million fry in the Natura™ treatment, achieving a 59.2% reduction. These results demonstrate that Natura™ pRo effectively lowers live food dependence while improving survival and larval production efficiency in meagre hatcheries.