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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #256965
Title: Evaluation of Zooplankton in Hatchery Diets for Channel Catfish Fry

Author
item MISCHKE, C - Mississippi State University
item WISE, D - Mississippi State University
item BYARS, T - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: North American Journal of Aquaculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/12/2008
Publication Date: 7/9/2009
Citation: Mischke, C.C., Wise, D.J., Byars, T.S. 2009. Evaluation of Zooplankton in Hatchery Diets for Channel Catfish Fry. North American Journal of Aquaculture. 71:312-314.

Interpretive Summary: When we fed live or dried zooplankton to catfish fry in conjunction with a commercial diet, fry weight increased 40-50% over the weight of fry fed the commercial diet alone in a 19-d feeding trial. Zooplankton may serve as a sustainable and reliable supplement during hatchery production. These data also reaffirm the importance of zooplankton as a feed source in the growth of channel catfish fry. Zooplankton are important in catfish fry culture, and when zooplankton are present with commercial diets, improved growth results. Supplemental feeding of zooplankton to hatchery fry, and managing fry ponds for increased zooplankton densities should increase fry growth during the nursery phase of culture.

Technical Abstract: The efficacy of zooplankton as a supplemental hatchery diet for fry of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus was evaluated. When a commercial diet is used as a reference, fry fed exclusively on zooplankton–either live or dried–performed poorly in their growth rate. However, when live or dried zooplankton were fed to fry in conjunction with the commercial diet, fry weight increased 40-50% over the weight of fry fed the commercial diet alone in a 19-d feeding trial. Data from this study indicate that zooplankton may serve as a sustainable and reliable supplement during hatchery production. These data also reaffirm the importance of zooplankton as a feed source in the growth of channel catfish fry. Zooplankton are important in catfish fry culture and, when zooplankton are present with commercial diets, improved growth results. Based on results of this study, supplemental feeding of zooplankton to hatchery fry and managing fry ponds for increased zooplankton densities should increase fry growth during the nursery phase of culture.