Author(s): Aaron Chapman, Nathan Huysman, Jill M Voorhees, Eric Krebs and Michael E Barnes

Abstract: This study evaluated the effects of three different colors of physical environmental enrichment on the growth of juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss after 54 days of hatchery rearing. Arrays of four aluminum angles painted either red, blue, or green were suspended in covered, 1.8‑m diameter circular tanks. Mean (± SE) individual fish lengths (mm) (198 ± 3, 200 ± 2, and 196 ± 4 for red, green, and blue, respectively) and weights (g) (85.1 ± 3.4, 83.4 ± 1.8, and 84.6 ± 2.8 for red, green, and blue, respectively) were not significantly different among the color treatments. There were also no significant differences in total tank weight (kg) (92.8 ± 1.0, 91.7 ± 1.2, and 93.1 ± 0.6 for red, green, and blue respectively) and per cent gain (%) (106.1 ± 2.2, 103.8 ± 2.6, and 106.8 ± 1.3 for red, green, and blue respectively). These results indicate that the rearing benefits of suspended environmental enrichment are likely not influenced by the color of the structure.

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