Effects of starvation periods on some blood indicators of stress in the Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus)

The effects of starvation periods on physiological response of the juvenile Persian sturgeon, Acipencer persicus, was assessed through such stress factors as glucose, cortisol and hepatic enzymes for a period of 8 weeks. For this purpose, in a randomly designed experiment, five groups of fish (108.04 ± 0.28 gr) in 3 replicates were starved for a period of 0 (control), 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks and fed them to satiation after their starvation lags. Blood plasma glucose and cortisol during starvation periods did not significantly change (p>0.05). This indicates high performance of this specific in maintenance of blood glucose during starvation and recovery of glucose level after feeding. However, plasma hepatic enzymes level in fasting treatments increased (p