CHANNEL CATFISH FARMING HANDBOOK CRAIG S. TUCKER AND EDWIN H. ROBINSON. Mississippi State University. Springer Science + Business Media, lle

Transcription

1 CHANNEL CATFISH FARMING HANDBOOK CRAIG S. TUCKER AND EDWIN H. ROBINSON Mississippi State University Springer Science + Business Media, lle

2 Mention of a trademark or proprietary product does not constitute a warranty of the product by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may be suitable. An AVI Book Copyright 1990 by Springer Science+Business Media New York Originally published by Van Nostrand Reinhold in 1990 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1990 Library of Congress Catalog Number ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form by any means-graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems-without written perm iss ion of the publisher Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Tucker, C. S. (Craig S.), Channel catfish farming handbook / by Craig S. Tucker and Edwin H. Robinson. p. cm. Includes bibliographies and index. ISBN Channel catfish-handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Fish-culture Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Robinson, Edwin H. (Edwin Hollis), Title. SH167.C44T '752-dc CIP

3 To Claude Boyd and Tom Lovell

4 Contents Preface xi PART 1 BIOLOGY OF THE CHANNEL CATFISH 7 1. General Biology 9 Morphology 9 Respiration and circulation 13 Osmoregulation 15 Sensory function 16 Immune function 16 References 18 v

5 vi Contents 2. Life History and Reproductive Biology 19 General life history 19 Male reproductive biology 20 reproductive biology 22 Spawning and fertilization 23 life history 25 References Genetics 27 Female Early Basic genetics 28 Qualitative traits 32 Quantitative traits 33 References Environmental Requirements 39 Salinity 40 Temperature 41 Dissolved oxygen 44 Alkalinity and hardness 48 Carbon dioxide 49 ph 50 Ammonia 51 Nitrite 53 Hydrogen sulfide 55 Suspended solids and turbidity 55 Total gas pressure 56 Copper and zinc 58 References Nutrition 61 Energy 62 Nutrients 66 Digestion 98 References 106 PART 2 CULTURAL PRACTICES 109

6 Contents vii 6. Breeding 111 The need for planned breeding programs 111 Guidelines for a minimal breeding program 113 Breeding for qualitative traits 114 Breeding for quantitative traits 115 Nontraditional genetic improvement programs 131 References Egg and Fry Production 135 Brood fish management 136 Methods of propagation 142 Hatchery design 151 Hatchery practices 160 Fry inventory methods 162 References Fingerling and Food-Fish Production in Ponds 165 Pond culture systems 166 Fingerling production 174 Foodfish production 180 Record keeping 195 Investments and costs 195 Water use in ponds 199 Fish-eating birds 206 Polyculture systems 207 References Water Quali~ Management In Ponds 217 Dissolved oxygen and aeration 218 Total alkalinity and hardness 244 Carbon dioxide and ph 245 Ammonia and nitrite 250 Off-flavor 260 Aquatic weed control 268 Turbidity 282 Hydrogen sulfide 285 Toxic algae 285 Pesticides 287 References 288

7 viii Contents 10. Feeds and Feeding Practices 291 Feedstuffs 292 Feed formulation 297 Feed processing 305 Feeding practices 308 References Infectious Diseases 317 Role of environmental conditions 319 Clinical signs of fish diseases 321 Disease diagnosis 324 Viral diseases 328 Bacterial diseases 333 Fungal diseases 345 Protozoan parasites 347 Metazoan parasites 356 Diseases of uncertain origin 356 Diseases of eggs 361 Disease treatments 362 Treatment rate calculations 372 References Harvesting and Transporting 381 Considerations before harvest 382 Harvesting fish from ponds 383 Transporting fish 395 References Alternative Culture Systems 405 Cage culture 407 Raceway culture 412 Closed, waterrecirculating systems 417 References 426 Glossary 429 Appendices 437 Index 447

8 Preface Although catfish have been farmed for about 30 years and catfish farming is the most successful aquacultural enterprise in the United States, there are those who contend that catfish farming is still as much of an "art" as it is a science. This position is difficult to refute completely, particularly considering that some practices used in catfish farming appear to have little scientific basis. Skill coupled with a small dose of mysticism certainly playa role in the culture of catfish, and the catfish producer is faced with the unenviable task of rearing an animal in an environment that requires considerable management. Certain aspects may still be an "art" because research and technical information needed to support the industry have lagged behind industry growth; however, the basic principles underlying catfish farming are based on sound scientific evidence whose foundation was laid in the 1950s by work conducted at state and federal fish hatcheries in the southeastern and midwestern United States. Since that time, several university and government laboratories have expanded the scientific base for catfish farming. As a result, considerable information is available, but it is generally fragmented and exists in a multitude of diverse scientific and trade journals. The material is often too technical or abstract to be comprehensible to fish culturists and personnel in allied industries. This book fits the definition of the term handbook in the sense that it is intended as a book of instruction or guidance as well as a reference. We have attempted to present an orderly, integrated summary of the ix

9 x Preface commercial culture of channel catfish. In addition, we feel that a summary of the biology of the catfish is mandatory to provide new producers and students with an understanding of the animal being cultured. We hope that we have linked technical and practical information in a concise and readable manner that will serve a diverse audience. To that end, we have tried to keep the material at a level that will be understandable to the catfish producer, yet still be of interest and value to students and researchers. By necessity, certain sections are presented in more detail and some are more technical than others. We have chosen to use English units of measure unless convention dictated otherwise. Scientific names have been omitted from the text but are presented in the Appendices. Excessive reference citations, which often detract from readability, have been avoided. This book could not have been prepared without the help of many friends and colleagues. We are grateful for the advice and discussion of subject matter outside our primary interests provided by Dr. Cheryl Goudie, Dr. Ron Thune, Jim Steeby, and Dr. Rob Busch. Thanks are also due to Drs. Mike Johnson, Gary Carmichael, David Crosby, Bob Durborow, and Pete Taylor for reviewing various chapters. Dr. Tom Schwedler of Clemson University read the entire draft of the book and offered many useful suggestions. We appreciate the help of Elizabeth Cook, who assisted with the typing, and of Melanie Tucker, who drew some of the figures. Finally, a very special thanks to Laura Clark, to whom we are forever indebted for her patience in editing and typing this book.