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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #417385
Research Project: Improving the Productivity and Quality of Catfish Aquaculture

Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit

Title: Zooplankton selectivity by black buffalo in fertilized ponds

Author
item ALLEN, PETER - Mississippi State University
item GUY, EMMET - Mississippi State University
item MISCHKE, CHARLES - Mississippi State University
item COLVIN, MICHAEL - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: North American Journal of Aquaculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/29/2019
Publication Date: 4/7/2019
Citation: Allen, P.J., Guy, E., Mischke, C.C., Colvin, M. 2019. Zooplankton selectivity by black buffalo in fertilized ponds. North American Journal of Aquaculture. 81:(215-221). https://doi.org/10.1002/naaq.10089.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/naaq.10089

Interpretive Summary: Black Buffalo (Ictiobus niger) is a fish species under consideration for aquaculture production and for control of snails in commercial ponds, but research is needed to close the life cycle for domestication. Researchers at Mississippi State University evaluated this species’ preferences for different types of aquatic foods during early life stages. The researchers found that larval and juvenile Black Buffalo preferred small crustacean zooplankton called cladocerans during the first month of feeding on external food sources. Understanding what food these fish prefer to eat will support better management and production of this species.

Technical Abstract: Populations of the Black Buffalo Ictiobus niger, a catostomid species, are in decline. Recovery plans for catostomids frequently include artificial propagation and rearing in ponds until fish grow beyond sizes that are considered vulnerable to predation. Managing ponds for specific zooplankton taxa should increase survival and growth of larval fish; however, zooplankton selectivity experiments conducted for catostomids in aquaculture are rare. We conducted two experiments to evaluate zooplankton selectivity by larval and juvenile Black Buffalo in aquaculture ponds. Fry were stocked into tanks or ponds and were allowed to forage on natural zooplankton populations. Fish and zooplankton were sampled after 3 h in tanks and weekly for 4 weeks in ponds. Proportions of zooplankton taxa consumed were compared to the proportions of taxa available in tanks or ponds. Results indicate that Black Buffalo fry do not readily consume zooplankton at first feeding. However, Black Buffalo at 11 d posthatch (1 week poststocking) selected for cladocerans, and they continued selecting for cladocerans through the first 32 d posthatch (4 weeks poststocking). Therefore, rearing ponds for larval and juvenile Black Buffalo should be managed to promote cladoceran populations where possible.