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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #286127
Title: Holding hormone-induced channel catfish females in hatchery pond improves efficiency and reduces the hatchery cost of producing channel X blue hybrid catfish fry

Author
item Chatakondi, Nagaraj
item Peterson, Brian
item Bates, Terry

Submitted to: Aquaculture America Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/5/2012
Publication Date: 2/21/2013
Citation: Chatakondi, N.G., Peterson, B.C., Bates, T.D. 2013. Holding hormone-induced channel catfish females in hatchery pond improves efficiency and reduces the hatchery cost of producing channel X blue hybrid catfish fry. Aquaculture America Conference. P. 180.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Hybrid catfish is a superior genotype and its superiority is witnessed in the performance of fingerlings and food fish in commercial catfish ponds. Hybrid catfish fry production has increased to 150 million in 2012 (300% increase in the last 5 years) and the demand for hybrid catfish fingerlings is high, even at higher price. Hybrid catfish fry production involves hormone-induced spawning of channel catfish, stripped eggs fertilized with blue catfish sperm, and fertilized eggs hatched in troughs in the same manner as channel catfish in hatcheries. Hybrid fry production requires more labor, continuous supply of mature broodfish, holding tanks, heated water, resources, and a more regimented production schedule. There is a need to increase the efficiency of hatchery production and reduce the cost of hybrid fry production in hatcheries by innovative approaches. In the present study, hatchery water was discharged into a hatchery pond (0.3 acre pond) to hold the hormone-injected fish. It was hypothesized that holding hormone-injected broodfish during latency in hatchery pond would improve the efficiency of hybrid fry production and facilitate cost reduction in hatchery production of hybrid catfish fry. In this study, eight mature channel catfish females were induced spawned with 20+80 µg mLHRHa/Kg BW and either held in a tank or a hatchery pond after the priming / resolving dose. The mean responses measured in the spawning trial (Table 1) did not differ between the various regimes examined in the study. The results suggested that holding fish in a hatchery pond did not differ from holding fish in a concrete tank to produce hybrid catfish fry. The spawning trial was repeated with salmon GnRHa and common carp pituitary ovulating hormones and the results will be presented to further validate practices that improve efficiency and reduce the hatchery cost of producing hybrid catfish fry.