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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #406245
Research Project: Improving the Productivity and Quality of Catfish Aquaculture

Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit

Title: Repeated low-dose copper sulfate applications may be a safe and effective way to manage catfish trematode infections

Author
item MISCHKE, CHARLES - Mississippi State University
item Richardson, Brad
item GRIFFIN, MATT - Mississippi State University
item WISE, DAVID - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Fish Farming News
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2023
Publication Date: 4/30/2023
Citation: Mischke, C.C., Richardson, B.M., Griffin, M.J., Wise, D.J. 2023. Repeated low-dose copper sulfate applications may be a safe and effective way to manage catfish trematode infections. Fish Farming News. 2023(1), 3-5.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Decreased water acreage in the United States catfish industry has led to increased bird pressure on remaining catfish ponds. Avian species are a source of direct economic losses to the catfish industry through predation, as well as indirect losses by transmitting important fish parasites. Bolbophorus damnificus is a trematode parasite with a life cycle consisting of sequential infection of birds, snails, and catfish. With no approved therapeutics for parasite infections in catfish and federal protections on many avian predators, management of the parasite is relegated to breaking the life cycle through control of the snail host. Two snail species, Planorbella (syn. = Helisoma) trivolvis and Biomphalaria havanensis are common inhabitants of commercial catfish ponds and known to transmit B. damnificus. In this study, lab-reared B. havanensis and P. trivolvis were exposed to sequential low-dose copper sulfate treatments were evaluated on eggs, juveniles, and adults as a safer treatment regime for ponds. For rams-horn snails, four doses of 0.75 mg/L copper sulfate killed about 60% of the snails, whereas only two doses of 0.75 mg/L copper sulfate killed 100% of ghost rams-horn snails. Concentrations of 0.09 and 0.75 mg/L were required to prevent 50% of eggs hatching in P. trivolvis and B. havanensis, respectively. Immediate snail control may be achieved through a single shoreline application of 2.5-3.0 mg/L; however, the use of multiple low-dose treatments of 0.5-0.75 mg/L may be useful for extended control measure that reduces the risk to catfish.