The Ideal Fish for Farming
Much as aquaculture practices is becoming widely accepted in the country considering the rate of fish farm proliferation, there are stepwise technical and essential aspect of its establishment as well as management in order for the farm to survive.
Once the right approach is given beginning from the planning stage to during its establishment and to its running, then the little that will be left could be handling with the attention of an aquaculture expert around hence minimizing cost of production.
Although there is no “perfect” fish for farming, the following are desirable biological and economic attributes when selecting the best fish to farm. The fish species should:
1. Be capable of reproducing in captivity;
2. Produce numerous and hardy eggs and larvae (young);
3. Have well-known culture requirements;
4. Be adaptable to many types of culture systems;
5. Be adaptable to multi-species farming (polyculture);
6. Exhibit rapid growth to a large maximum size;
7. Readily adapt to artificial feeds;
8. Be tolerant of crowding and high density conditions;
9. Exhibit high survival (low mortality) rates;
10. Be easy to handle, harvest, and transport;
11. Be resistant to disease and parasite infestations;
12. Not be cannibalistic or territorial;
13. Be readily available as eggs, fingerlings, and adults;
14. Have a high market demand;
15. Exhibit high feed conversion rates;
16. Have good dress-out weight values;
17. Have a long shelf life;
18. Be easy to process;
19. Have a healthy appearance and color;
20. Have good eating qualities;
21. Have highly regarded fighting abilities;
22. Be catchable.
Table: Consumers Ratings and Availability of Fish Species for Production
Species | Consumers acceptability | Availability of fish seeds for stocking | Feeding habits | Remarks |
Heterobranchu s bidorsalis | good | Seasonal | Omnivorous | Respond well to fertilizer and supplementary feeding |
Distichodus engycephalus | good | seasonal | Herbivorous | This species keeps aquatic weeds under control in pond |
Malapterurus electricus | good | Seasonal | Predator | Good species of combination with Tilapia polyculture |
Maglops atlanticus | Good | seasonal | Predator | Comes into pond with tides |
Cyprinus carpio | Very good | Year round and adequate | Omnivorous | Respond well to fertilizer and supplementary feeding |
Ictalurus punctatus | Very good | Year round and adequate | Feeds mainly on in sects and craw-fish | Respond well to fertilizer and supplementary feeding |
Clarias gariepinus | good | Year round but in adequate | Omnivorous | Respond well to fertilizer and supplementary feeding |
Oreochromis niloticus | very good | Year round and adequate | Omnivorous | Respond well to fertilizer and supplementary feeding |
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