Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology B 12 (2022) 31-39 doi: 10.17265/2161-6264/2022.02.001 Economic Analysis of the Use of Restrictive Food Management in the Cultivation of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in a Recirculation System Giovanni Resende de Oliveira 1 , Thiago Archangelo Freato 2 , Juan Daniel Villacis Fajardo 3 , Tainára Cunha Gemaque 4 , Nancy Andrea Villacis Fajardo 5 and Daniel Pereira da Costa 3, 4 1. Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais (EPAMIG), Experimental Field of Leopoldina, Leopoldina, MG 36700-000, Brazil 2. State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Center for Meteorological and Climate Research Applied to Agriculture, Campinas, SP 13083-886, Brazil 3. University of Amapa State (UEAP), Campus Lakes Territory, Amapá, AP 68950-000, Brazil 4. Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG 31270-010, Brazil 5. National University of the Peruvian Amazon (UNAP), Iquitos 16024, Peru Abstract: The development of more adequate food programs regarding the intensity and duration of the restriction can be an effective way to minimize the effects of exaggerated food consumption and its negative consequences for the economy of the business. In this sense, juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) (137 ± 3 g) were submitted to different feeding strategies in a recirculation system. Five feeding strategies were tested in subsequent weekly cycles: continuous feeding; skipping one meal a week; suppression of two non-consecutive meals a week; suppression of three non-consecutive meals a week; suppression of four non-consecutive meals a week. Productive performance, feed consumption in the post-restriction period and economic indicators were evaluated through projections and profitability analyses. Compensatory intake occurred in all tested groups, so that the total feed intake (FI) did not differ significantly between them (p > 0.05). Moderate food restriction provided a linear increase in the relative gross margin for each treatment with each change in salary level, as well as greater profitability when compared to the respective control group (p < 0.05). Key words: Feed management, feed restriction, carcass quality, carcass yield, operational yield, economic efficiency. 1. Introduction Restrictive feeding strategies vary between species and fish farms, including feeding at apparent satiation, feed restriction based on body weight ratio, or restriction based on food input into the farming system [1, 2]. It is still necessary to determine the exact strategies for using feed restriction and compensatory growth as an effective management method, especially under field conditions [3]. Other studies involving the adoption of several Corresponding author: Daniel Pereira da Costa, Ph.D., professor, research fields: aquaculture, water quality, toxicology, economy and rural development. meals a day through automatic feeders have shown good results regarding the performance of tilapia grown in cages. The increase in feeding frequency associated with day or day/night feeding improved the performance of net cage Nile tilapia, which suggests that a large number of feedings allow better exploration of food and availability of dissolved oxygen [4, 5]. On the other hand, it is likely that in some situations, a single daily meal gives more opportunity for all fish in each batch to feed themselves sufficiently, thus being able to provide satisfactory zootechnical performance to them. However, it is necessary to define which food managements are well associated with moderate forms D DAVID PUBLISHING