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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #406238
Research Project: Improving the Productivity and Quality of Catfish Aquaculture

Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit

Title: Simple, low-cost traps may help manage snails and reduce trematode risk in catfish ponds

Author
item Richardson, Brad
item MISCHKE, CHARLES - Mississippi State University
item GRIFFIN, MATT - Mississippi State University
item WISE, DAVID - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Fish Farming News
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2023
Publication Date: 4/30/2023
Citation: Richardson, B.M., Mischke, C.C., Griffin, M.J., Wise, D.J. 2023. Simple, low-cost traps may help manage snails and reduce trematode risk in catfish ponds. Fish Farming News. 2023(1), 8-10.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Bolbophorus damnificus is a trematode parasite causing significant economic losses within the United States commercial catfish industry. The life cycle is complex, requiring piscivorous birds, aquatic snails, and fish to complete. With federal protections on many piscivorous birds and no FDA-approved therapeutic treatment for parasite infestations in fish, management within the catfish industry is primarily limited to controlling the snail host. Two pulmonate snails (Planorbella trivolvis and Biomphalaria havanensis) are commonly found in commercial catfish ponds and known to transmit B. damnificus. Though several studies have investigated potential pond treatments for controlling snail populations, basic biological and ecological information about these snails in these systems is lacking. This study evaluated a low-cost snail trap prototype for monitoring populations of P. trivolvis and B. havanensis in efforts to better inform treatment regimes. Snail traps were deployed into ponds on a commercial catfish farm and checked weekly throughout the production season. All snails were identified and counted to evaluate trap efficacy. Traps captured significantly more snails in food fish ponds than fingerling ponds. B. havanensis was rarely collected and was only found consistently within one pond, while P. trivolvis was routinely collected from all ponds, though abundance varied widely among ponds on a given day. Snail traps could be a useful, low-cost method to monitor snail populations within ponds. Information derived from snail traps can help farm managers make more informed decisions regarding when to initiate pond treatments and maximize treatment efficacy, thereby yielding better treatment results, reducing treatment costs and ultimately lowering risk of parasite infestation.