The resting oxygen consumption (VO2rest), peak postprandial VO2 and peak post-exercise oxygen consumption (VO2peak) of 137 juvenile southern catfish (Silurus meridionalis Chen), weighing 18.5 ± 0.8 g, were measured at 25℃ to determine whether postprandial and post-exercise VO2peak are positively related to VO2rest in sedentary southern. In addition, postprandial metabolic response (i.e., the specific dynamic action [SDA]) after a satiating meal and the growth performance as a consequence of a 3-week feeding-growth trail were measured in 40 southern catfish, weighing 14.3 ± 0.2 g, at 25℃ to determine whether postprandial VO2peak is positively related to growth rate. It was found that postprandial VO2peak was positively related with VO2rest while post-exercise VO2peak was not. Both postprandial VO2peak and post-exercise VO2peak were positively correlated with factorial and absolute scope. There was no significant correlation between the growth rate and postprandial VO2peak in southern catfish.

Resting metabolic rate in southern catfish of 2 and 5 day fasting groups were significantly higher than that of the 15 day fasting group (P < 0.05). After feeding, peak metabolic rate of specific dynamic action (SDA) of the 15 day fasting group was significantly lower than that of the 2 and 5 day fasting groups (P < 0.05). The duration of the SDA of the 15 day fasting group was significantly longer than that of the 2 day fasting group (P < 0.05) and the SDA coefficient of the 15 day fasting group was significantly lower than that of the 2 day fasting group (P < 0.05).