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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #365668
Research Project: Evaluating Nutritional Requirements, Identifying Alternative Ingredients and Improving the Production Environment for Hybrid and Channel Catfish Production

Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit

Title: Economic assessment of commercial-scale Edwardsiella ictaluri vaccine trials in U.S. catfish industry

Author
item KUMAR, GANESH - Mississippi State University
item BYARS, TODD - Mississippi State University
item GREENWAY, TERRY - Mississippi State University
item KHOO, LESTER - Mississippi State University
item AARATTUTHODIYIL, SUJA - Mississippi State University
item GRIFFIN, MATT - Mississippi State University
item WISE, DAVID - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Agricultural Economics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/21/2018
Publication Date: 7/1/2019
Citation: Kumar, G., Byars, T., Greenway, T., Khoo, L., Aarattuthodiyil, S., Griffin, M., Wise, D. 2019. Economic assessment of commercial-scale Edwardsiella ictaluri vaccine trials in U.S. catfish industry. Agricultural Economics. 23(2):1-22.

Interpretive Summary: Collaborative efforts between state, federal and catfish producers have led to the development of an oral-vaccination platform that allows for the successful immunization of catfish against ESC. At a realistic vaccination cost of $750/ha, the net economic benefits to channel and hybrid catfish fingerling-production phases were $3199 and $6145/ha, respectively. The application of live vaccines to immunocompetent fish is central to the success of this platform. This is the first orally delivered vaccine resulting in economic benefits to the catfish industry and is a milestone in aquaculture vaccinology. The ongoing trials have culminated in the largest commercial vaccination effort in the U.S. aquaculture industry, resulting in the immunization of 749 million stocked catfish as of 2018. Increased participation (>72%) of fingerling producers is an important index of the success of this vaccination program. Economic analysis clearly demonstrated that oral-vaccination platform improved production efficiencies of both the commercial production of hybrid and channel catfish fingerlings.

Technical Abstract: Enteric Septicemia of Catfish (ESC) is a ruinous bacterial disease affecting the U.S. catfish industry. Previous attempts to develop ESC vaccines have failed to achieve industry acceptance, largely attributed to difficulties in delivering the vaccine to immunocompetent fish. Recently, a live attenuated ESC vaccine has been developed, coupled with a mechanized platform designed to accurately deliver measured doses of vaccine with feed. This delivery scheme for vaccine-feed admixture has shown tremendous promise under controlled research settings. This study evaluated the economic effects of on-going commercial-vaccination trials on catfish fingerling operations in Mississippi. Commercial-vaccination trials for both channel and hybrid catfish demonstrated significant improvement in survival, growth, feed consumption, feed conversion and gross yield. At a realistic vaccination cost of $750/ha, the net economic benefits to channel and hybrid catfish fingerling-production phases were $3199 and $6145/ha, respectively. Whole-farm models showed additional profit ranging from $71,758 to $133,887/400-ha on farms that integrate fingerling production to their production strategies due to appropriation of more of the otherwise incumbent fingerling production acreage into foodfish production. Commercial adoption of the oral-vaccination platform would greatly enhance profitability while laying the foundation for development and delivery of polyvalent vaccines against other catfish diseases.