Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit
Project Number: 6066-31320-007-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Jan 27, 2020
End Date: Jan 26, 2025
Objective:
1. Develop improved production strategies for hybrid and channel catfish.
1.1. Expanding temporal harvest of hybrid catfish in intensive production systems.
1.2. Optimization of channel catfish production in intensively aerated single and multiple batch production systems.
1.3. Economic losses associated with warehousing market-sized hybrid catfish in intensive production systems.
1.4. Evaluate effects of longer-term maintenance feeding on body weight, survival, and processing yield of market-size hybrid catfish and determine optimum refeeding duration before harvesting.
2. Develop cost-effective feeds and optimal feeding practices for catfish aquaculture.
2.1. Compare diets containing fish meal, animal by-products, and all plant protein sources for growth and health of channel and hybrid fingerlings.
2.2. Optimize lysine supplementation in diets for channel and hybrid catfish.
2.3. Evaluate feed additives on growth and health of channel and hybrid catfish.
3. Environmental manipulation to improve growth and health of catfish.
3.1. Development of methods to promote natural food sources in catfish nursery ponds.
3.2. Evaluating chemical treatments and treatment strategies to control disease vectors.
3.3. Effects of natural feed supplementation on channel catfish growth and health.
4. Identify economic factors influencing cost-efficiency of catfish aquaculture.
4.1. Evaluate the economics of various traditional and alternative catfish production strategies.
4.2. Economic risk associated with various catfish production technologies.
4.3. Monitoring the adoption of various production enhancing technologies in the U.S. catfish industry.
Approach:
We will develop improved production strategies for hybrid and channel catfish by exploring strategies to expand the temporal harvest of hybrid catfish from intensive production systems, optimize channel catfish production in intensively aerated single and multiple batch production systems, quantify economic losses associated with warehousing market-sized hybrid catfish in intensive production systems, and evaluate effects of longer-term maintenance feeding on body weight, survival, and processing yield of market-size hybrid catfish. We will develop cost-effective feeds and optimal feeding practices for catfish aquaculture through the comparison of diets containing fish meal, animal by-products, and all plant protein sources for growth and health of channel and hybrid fingerlings, optimization of lysine supplementation in diets for channel and hybrid catfish, and evaluation of feed additives on growth and health of channel and hybrid catfish. To obtain environments for improved growth and health of catfish, we will develop methods to promote natural food sources in catfish nursery ponds, evaluate chemical treatments and treatment strategies to control disease vectors, and determine the effects of natural feed supplementation on channel catfish growth and health. We will also determine economic risks associated with catfish production technologies and monitor the adoption of various production-enhancing technologies in the U.S. catfish industry.
