CHANNEL CATFISH CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES BY

Leonard Lovshin Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures CHANNEL CATFISH CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES... Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus... Native Range of Channel Catfish in

Leonard Lovshin Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures

CHANNEL CATFISH CULTURE

IN THE UNITED STATES

Channel Catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus )

Native Range of Channel Catfish in the United States

Food Habits

Preferred Habitat

Reservoirs and lakes

Reproductive Live History

1 Sexual maturity is reached in 2 to 3 years in the

southeastern U S.

2 Spawning takes place in a cavity formed by rocks, logs or

a hole in a lake or river bank.

3 Preferred spawning water temperatures: 21-29 C, with

optimal temperature 24 to 26 C.

Sexual behavior

1 Males defend a territory/cavity.

2 Female enters the cavity and

spawns.

3 Males incubate eggs and defend

fry.

4 Males can spawn with more than

one female a season.

Spawning cavity

Catfish are grown in 4 to 10 ha earthen ponds with flat bottoms.

Filtered surface

Catfish ponds are filled with either:

Spawning occurs during May and June in the Southeastern U S Spawning cans are checked every 2 to 3 days for spawns.

Hatching Shed

Eggs are transported to a hatching shed.

Eggs are placed in 5-mm square

wire mesh baskets suspended in a paddlewheel incubator.

Eggs hatch in 5 to 6 days at water temperatures of 24 to 26 °C.

Fry are fed powdered feed.

Fry are placed in screen boxes or troughs for 7

to 14 days before stocking in ponds.

Fry are stocked at 150,000 to 250,000/ha and grown for 5 months

Fry are fed powdered, crumbled and pelleted feeds.

Fingerlings are stocked in fattening

ponds during January to March

Stocking density is 15,000 to 20,000/ha.

Catfish feed is purchased by the bag or delivered in bulk and stored in silos.

corn wheat soybean

Feed amount is controlled by an electronic scale located in the truck cab Catfish are fed what

they will eat up to a maximum of 120 kg/ha/day.

Dissolved oxygen concentration is checked night and day to assure

that levels remain above 2 mg/l.

No water exchange is practiced because ponds are large and pumping water is costly.

Electric (fixed) and tractor (mobile) powered paddlewheels are used to increase D O levels.

Low D O can kill catfish within 1 or 2 hours.

Many diseases cause fish mortality.

Gas cannon to scare the birds

Shoo

!

Birds consume many fish in some regions.

Catfish are removed from the pond with a seine stored on a hydraulic reel powered by a tractor.

Management systems used:

• All catfish are removed from the pond when they reach

0.5 to 1.0 kg, 6 to 12 months from stocking

• Ponds are drained yearly.

2 Multi-harvest

• Only catfish larger than 0.5 kg are removed by partial

seine harvest.

• Ponds are restocked yearly with small catfish Large

and small catfish are in the pond together

• Ponds are partial harvested 2 to 3 times per year Ponds

are drained every 5 to 8 years.

Catfish are retained in a holding net overnight to eliminate small catfish Fish are crowded for

loading onto the transport truck A crew of 5 can

Catfish are weighed onto

trucks taking the fish to

the processing factory

Each basket holds 900 kg

of fish.

Fish are checked for off-flavor 2 weeks, 1 day and upon arrival at the processor Off-flavor fish are not harvested.

Catfish are weighed a second time upon arrival at the processor Fish arrive alive.

Catfish are cleaned, filleted and frozen by the processor.

1 Whole - 20 %

2 Pieces and bellies - 20%

3 Fillets - 60 %

Preservation method as a percentage of total catfish processed:

Processed forms as a percentage of total catfish processed:

The catfish industry maintains a quality

control program to

insure the consumer

a fresh and healthy

product.

Mississippi accounts for 65 % of farmed

catfish

Principle farming states are located in

the Southeastern U S Mississippi (MS)

Alabama (AL) and Arkansas (AR) produce

90 % of the farmed catfish.

4 Close to major grain farming regions - cheap fish

3 Abundant water and clay soils

2 Warm climate

1 Popular food fish - market

The channel catfish industry developed in the

Southeast because:

4,000 to 7,000 kg/ha/year

Pond yield

YEAR LIVE WEIGHT AVG PRICE *

PROCESSED, KG PER KG, $US - - -

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