The recovery growth experiment in red sea bream, Pagrosomus major , following dif ferent starvation time at 20 .. .During starvation of 15 days, the f ish lost 7. 05% body weight comparing with it s initial weight s; the water content within the f ish body increased slightly; the protein and the energy content decreased slightly too; the lipid and ash did not significantly change. The tested fish were divided into 6 experiment groups which were deprived of food for 0( control) , 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 days respectively. Then each group was sated with food for two weeks. At the end of the recovery growth, chemical composition and energy content in each group were similar with the control group. The specif ic growth rate and feeding rate of groups which were deprived of food for 3 and 6 days significantly higher than the control group, but food conversion efficiency was similar w ith the control group; the specific growth rate and food conversion efficiency of groups which were deprived of food for 9, 12 and 15 days significantly higher than the control group, but feeding rate was similar to the control group. This results suggest the compensatory growth in red sea bream which was deprived of food for 6 days resulted in signif icant increase of the feeding rate in the recovery growth; but the compensatory growth in red sea bream which was deprived of food 9, 12 and 15 days resulted in signif icant increase of the food conversion efficiency in the recovery growth.