What is feed conversion ratio?
Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is calculated from the number of kilos of feed that are used to produce one kilo of whole fish. Two additional terms are used by the farmer, the biological FCR and the economic FCR. Biological FCR is the net amount of feed used to produce one kg of fish, while the economic FCR takes into account all the feed used, meaning that the effects of feed losses and mortalities, for example, are included. Farms reporting a low FCR normally have good management practices in place, with no overfeeding and very low, if any, mortalities. Overfeeding or underfeeding will increase the FCR. As a consequence, many farms are equipped with monitoring systems, for instance underwater television cameras, as well as devices for controlling the supply and delivery of feeds. The basic principle in feeding is that the fish should be fed exactly to satiation. If they are fully fed, the fish are not stressed and they provide high quality food for human consumption. This requires the f
