This study was undertaken to determine the dietary protein requirement of shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa L.) with an initial weight of 86.3 AE 0.4 g. The ¢sh were fed ¢ve isoenergetic diets containing dietary protein levels ranging from 35% to 59% by 6% increments [the estimated digestible protein (DP) levels ranged between 29.6% and 52.8%], and the growth response over a 10-week period was monitored. Each experimental diet was given to triplicate groups of ¢sh. The ¢nal weight, weight gain and daily growth coe⁄cient increased with the dietary protein level, reaching a plateau at the dietary level of 47% protein. The feed conversion ratio improved with increasing dietary protein level. The daily feed intake was signi¢cantly lower in ¢sh fed 53% and 59% protein diets compared with those fed 35% protein diet. However, protein intake showed an increasing trend with increasing dietary protein and became signi¢cantly di¡erent between the 59% and the 35% protein diets. The protein e⁄ciency ratio, protein retention and condition factor were not a¡ected signi¢cantly by the dietary treatments. The ¢nal body composition was not in£uenced by the treatments. The recommended dietary protein percentage and DP/digestible energy (DE) ratio for juvenile shi drum diets are 51.4% (45.6% DP) and 28.5 g DP MJ DE À 1 respectively.

Shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa L.) is regarded as a promising new candidate for Mediterranean mariculture but specifically formulated feeds are not yet available due to knowledge gaps in its basic nutritional requirements. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the effects of dietary lipid levels on growth and feed utilization in shi drum (72.6 g average weight). Four isonitrogenic diets differing in dietary lipid levels between 10 and 19% (named 10L, 13L, 16L, and 19L, respectively) were fed to triplicate groups of fish for 8 weeks. Growth was not affected by treatment whereas feed efficiency was significantly deteriorated in fish fed diets containing lipid higher than 13%. Whole body dry matter and lipid contents were significantly higher in fish fed 19L compared with fish fed the 10L, while whole body protein, ash, and total carbon (C) were statistically unaffected by the dietary treatment. A significant increase in feed, lipid, energy, nitrogen (N), and carbon (C) intake was recorded in fish fed 16L and 19L when compared with 10L. Carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio was significantly higher in fish fed 19L than 10L. Moreover, the N and C losses significantly increased in fish fed 19L compared with 10L and 13L. It was concluded that high dietary lipid did neither had any protein-sparing effect nor other positive result, and diets for shi drum are not recommended to contain more than 13% lipid.