The carp juveniles were overwintered for 159 days (25 October 1997 – 31 March 1998) in cages placed in power station cooling water. The cages were stocked with carp fry of 163±20 g mean individual weight; the stocking density was 200 ind. cage-1, i.e., 100 ind. m-3. The experiment involved Dan-Ex 4,85 feed, an energy-rich extruded mixed feed. Depending on the treatment, the feed was offered daily and at 2-, 3-, and 4-day intervals. The daily feed ration amounted to 1% of the actual fish weight. During the following 28 days of spring culture (1-29 April 1998), the fish in all the treatments received the same feed offered at a daily ration of 1% of the actual fish weight. Feeding frequency was shown to have significantly affected body weight increments and chemical composition, both during overwintering and in the spring culture. The total body weight gain (TG) of the overwintered fish fed at 4-day intervals and those fed daily were 65.1 and 144%, respectively. During overwintering, feeding at 3-day intervals proved most advantageous. Compensatory growth was recorded in the initial two weeks of the spring culture in those fish that had not been fed daily during the preceding winter.

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