• 2004
• 2003

• Southeast Arkansas – Diagnostics
  Larry Dorman
  
  The disease diagnostic service processed over 700 samples. This included 300 cases of fish disease and 400 water samples. Savings estimates for the producers are valued at $1.8 million for the disease treatments and $200,000 for the water quality analyses. An algal monitoring program was re-initiated in the “salt belt” of Chicot County. A marine algal species reappeared this past fall. This algal species produces a neurotoxin which is deadly to fish. Previous appearances of the algae and the associated toxin release resulted in over $1 million in fish losses during the winter of 2000-2001. As of today, only one farm has experienced a minor fish loss due to the algae this winter.
   
• Southeast Arkansas – Financial Management
  Larry Dorman
  
  This specialist works closely with federal and local lending institutions in the area of catfish inventory maintenance, appraisal, and production projections. Inventory appraisals were conducted on four farms. Additionally, seven enterprise budgets were developed for producers and their lending institutions. The value of this service to the producer is estimated at over $20,000.
   
• Southeast Arkansas – Educational Programs
  Larry Dorman
  
  A farm pond management program was presented to the Southwest Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association. The Powerpoint presentation “Some do’s and don’ts of farm pond management” were developed for the meeting in which 70 people attended.
  
  The catfish industry’s economic situation improved somewhat during 2005 as fish prices improved. However, with prices being depressed the previous three years, many farmers’ finances haven’t fully recovered. With the economic conditions still very much in question, programs were developed to address some of the situations. Producer workshops were held in Southwest Arkansas (Gin City), Northeast Arkansas (Newport), and Southeast Arkansas (Lake Village). The workshop focused on economic issues such as cost associated with rebuilding pond levees and examining pond aeration practices. Sixty six producers attended these meetings. Additionally, a news article, “Improving farm efficiency” (Arkansas Aquaculture), was written addressing the economic situation.
   
• Southeast Arkansas – Youth Education
  Larry Dorman
  
  Youth education is an important component of an Extension program. This specialist conducted competitive activities at the UAPB Fish Games Day and at Big B Day in Chicot County. Activities conducted included the Baitcasting event at UAPB in which 119 attended. BB shooting and Baitcasting contest were conducted at the Chicot County Big B day. Thirty youth participated in those two events. Additionally, this specialist participated in a “Career Day” at Daniel Middle School, Crossett, AR. A Powerpoint presentation, “A career in fisheries” was prepared for this event. Sixty students participated in this event.
   
• Northeast Arkansas
  George Selden
  
  During 2005, the UAPB fish disease lab in Newport received 65 diagnostic or fish inspection samples during the past year. Extension contacts were 1354 for the year. This number included phone contacts, requests, and walk in contacts. Included were 132 contacts with county agents, either requesting information or help concerning water quality, fish kills, and/or aquatic vegetation control, or in the form of presentations. Excluded were mass media contacts.
  
  This agent assisted in three educational workshops for fish producers held in Lake Village, Lewisville and Newport. This agent delivered a presentation on Alternative Crops and Land Use. This agent also made a presentation on Crawfish Culture in Arkansas to the Delta District Admin Conference. This agent also made presentations on Water Gardens for the Master Gardener program of Craighead, St. Francis, Cross and Crittenden Counties. This agent also made a presentation on Small Scale Aquaculture Operations in Northeast Arkansas at Aquaculture America 2005 held in New Orleans, LA. This agent also moderated the Varied Aquaculture topics session at the same meeting.
  
  Youth education and 4-H activities are an integral part of the total Extension Program. This specialist conducted the Baitcasting/Fish ID contest for Northeast 4-H O’Rama, as well as the Baitcasting/Fish ID contest at the State 4-H O’Rama. Also during the past year, this specialist took a lead role in organizing the 2005 UAPB Fish Expo and Aquatic Sciences Day. Over 120 students and teachers, from seven schools, attended this event.
  
  A program highlight for 2005 was competency training new agents, held at UAPB. The training delivered by this agent involved Aquaculture; The Realities, Species and Potential. This training involved 11 participants. Another training session was held for employees of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and this agent assisted in the sessions on aquatic weeds identification and control, correct usage of water quality test kits, and water quality problem solving. This agent also made a presentation on aquaculture feeds and their impact on water quality.
  
  This agent also wrote several articles for the Arkansas Aquafarming and the Catfish Channel. As part of continuing education, this agent attended a short course on Aquatic vegetation held in Florida.
   
• Central Arkansas
  Hugh Thomforde
  
  Field trials are under way to evaluate appropriate methods for control of water meal (Wolffia spp.), a major nuisance aquatic species which shades-out its competition by covering the water surface. In recreational impoundments and farm ponds where water meal persists, chemical control has been found effective as a short term strategy, although an expensive one. However, reintroduction of water meal following eradication is common. Water meal readily adheres to the legs of wading birds and can easily return by this manner from nearby locations. Therefore the objective of the study was to evaluate means of long-term control. It has been common knowledge that water meal is not a problem in commercial goldfish culture ponds. Gold fish in aquaria were observed to eat water meal readily. Gold fish, for biological control of water meal, were stocked at 65 pounds/acre in 3 farm ponds in Clay and Lonoke Counties. The main criteria for selection of these ponds for inclusion in the study was that water meal had been observed to continually cover the surface of the ponds for at least 2 years. The ponds, stocked with gold fish in July 2006, are still under observation. To date, the method appears to successfully control water meal.
  
  Field trials for control of cotton weed (Pithophora spp.), were also conducted in the past year. This plant is a serious aquatic weed in ponds where nitrogen and phosphorus are available in abundance, as is typical in many baitfish ponds. Field trials have shown that this plant is highly resistant to dessication, and that grass carp have low preference for it because of its tough, fiberous qualities. To date, no economical methods of control have been identified. More field trials are planned. Current objectives are to identify a combination of methods that may prove effective and economical, including draw-down and winter freezing, and treatments combining diquat and copper compounds.

• Increasing Efficiency of Hybrid Catfish Production
  David Heikes
  
  In the spring of 2005, an individual pen spawning chamber system was developed to allow individual female catfish to be kept separate throughout the injection and ovulation process. This reduces the amount of handling and weighing and improves the odds of finding individual females at the peak of ovulation. Baxter Land Company has adopted this technique and will use this system in the production of hybrid catfish in 2006. Another benefit of this pen system is that it allows for the use of the ultrasound technology developed at LSU in aquaria to be utilized in a large scale production facility.
   
• Increasing Efficiency of Hybrid Catfish Production
  David Heikes
  
  Another hybrid catfish development in 2005 was a spreadsheet tool that calculates the amount of crude carp pituitary required base on the total weight of females to be injected. The spreadsheet tool calculates the volume of sterile saline required and steps the producer through the process of mixing and diluting the injection solutions. This tool has eliminated calculation errors and reduced waste.
   
• Improving Efficiency of Channel Catfish Production
  David Heikes
  
  Work continued in 2005 in testing a barrier system as a means of increasing production efficiencies in pond aquaculture. Preliminary results indicate no major advantages of keeping sizes separate with such a system. This year all fish cultured in the pond will be contained by the barrier system to check for other possible efficiency advantages.
   
• Catfish Research Verification Program
  Steeve Pomerleau
  
  Five commercial growout catfish ponds distributed among three Arkansas counties were monitored from April 2004 until December 2005. Management strategies varied among cooperators and differed partially from Extension recommendations. Results from two ponds to which the recommended management protocol was best applied are presented here. Ponds received from 12,900 to 16,600 lb of feed per acre per year. The annual yield of market-size fish averaged 4,500 lb/ac. Net yield, which take into account the change in inventory, averaged 5,500 lb/ac/yr. Survival averaged 73% over the 19 months study period. The net feed conversion ratio averaged 2.8, which take into account the change in fish inventory. Electric paddlewheel aeration averaged 783 hours per pond per year and emergency PTO aeration averaged 120 hours per pond per year. Three aeration efficiency ratios were estimated. Monthly electric aeration averaged 107 hp-hour per ton of feed. The ratio of fish production over electric aeration averaged 8 lb of fish per hp-hour of aeration. The cost of electricity for aeration averaged 0.7 cents/lb of fish production.
   
• Improving Data Acquisition and Management on Catfish Farms
  Steeve Pomerleau
  
  The Catfish Research Verification Program provided an opportunity to test new computing and wireless communication technologies to improve data acquisition on commercial catfish farms. After several field trials on cooperator farms, affordable and reliable mean of acquiring data digitally in the field has been identified. Handheld computers (Pocket PC) revealed to be the most practical tool to efficiently acquire feed, oxygen and aeration data from the pond bank. Once the data was collected on the Pocket PC, it could be transferred through the phone line to a central database. The database could then be accessed by the farm owners and farm managers round-the-clock through the internet. The technology was functional and was shown helpful for the Catfish Research Verification Program to acquire production data in a timely manner. However, further improvement need to be made to make the system more attractive and useful to farm managers and owners. The next phase of the project will be to develop web based data analysis tools and reports to facilitate management decisions and the analysis of the enterprise performance over time.
   
• Efficacy and Accuracy of a Catfish Trawl as an Inventory Assessment Tool
  Steeve Pomerleau
  
  The verification program provided an opportunity to collect some preliminary data to determine the efficiency and accuracy of a catfish trawl as an inventory assessment tool. The trawl was pulled across three verification ponds and all captured fish were individually weighed. The following day the inventory of the ponds were assessed and compared to the trawl data. The preliminary results will be used to design a more exhaustive study for the upcoming year.
   
• Catfish Farm Management
  Carole Engle
  
  New catfish budgets were developed based on cost structures identified in a cost of production survey. Farm size categories were developed based on significant differences in labor patterns for farms < 100 < acres, 100-200 acres, 200-300 acres, 300-800 acres, and > 800 acres. Net returns both with and without charging opportunity costs for all labor. Additional analyses estimated net returns with on-farm production of fingerlings, installing a hatchery, hiring a seining crew, and leasing ponds. Sensitivity analyses were run on yields, feed conversion rating, and varying costs of feed, electric rates, and fuel.
   
• Efficacy of capture 2EC for the control of aquatic predators in baitfish and ornamental fish ponds
  JoAnn Sadler, Andrew Goodwin, Melanie Newman
  
  Producers of baitfish and ornamental finfish need to control aquatic predators of fish fry in commercial production ponds to protect their new crops in the spring. The efficacy of Capture for the control of aquatic predators of fish (backswimmers, crawfish and copepods) was tested under laboratory and field conditions. The tolerance of goldfish, golden shiner and rosie red minnow fry to different Capture dose rates was also examined. The effect of water quality parameters (temperature and bloom density) on the treatment efficacy of Capture was determined. When Capture is used at 1-2 ppb there is no mortality of fish. Up to 100% of crawfish treated with 1 or 2 ppb Capture died within 6 – 24 hours of exposure. Backswimmers die within 48 hours of exposure to 1 ppb or 2 ppb Capture treatment. The efficacy of 1 – 10 ppb Capture in killing copepods is variable. The results of our laboratory trials indicate that Capture is less toxic at higher water temperatures. Pond water bloom density may also affect capture toxicity.
   
• Baitfish Research Verification Program
  Steeve Pomerleau
  
  A total of eight commercial juvenile golden shiner ponds, in which Extension recommendations were applied, were monitored from the spring of 2004 until the end of 2005. Six verification ponds were stocked in the spring of 2004 and two in the spring of 2005. The Extension personnel monitored all stocking and harvesting events and measured afternoon temperature and pH weekly. Fish were partially harvested without draining the ponds several times throughout the season, as more fish were needed in other ponds for final growout. At the end of the season, ponds were drained and all the remaining fish were harvested, with the exception of one pond, which is still in production at this time. Management strategies varied among verification ponds and differed partially from Extension recommendations. Among the seven verification ponds that were completely harvested, yields averaged (± standard deviation) 996 ± 413 lb/ac and survival rates averaged 69 ± 16 %. The lowest survival rate of 46% in one pond was attributed to infestation of parasite and low dissolved oxygen levels observed at dawn towards the end of the summer and the fall.
   
• Improving Pond Inventory Methodologies
  David Heikes
  
  A sampling trawl system has also been developed and demonstrated as a tool for collecting samples from catfish ponds. This trawl system was employed by Dr. Andy Goodwin and graduate student Kelly Winningham to collect age structure information from commercial catfish farms. This work has led to the development of a Southern Regional Aquaculture Center project on collecting pond inventory information.
   
• Holding Minnows for Sale
  Hugh Thomforde, Andy Goodwin and Nathan Stone
  
  A laminated hang tag with information on caring for baitfish at the retail level and solving holding tank problems was developed. Farmers and livehaulers have distributed the hang tags to their retail customers, in hopes of improving fish care and reducing losses.
   
• In-Service Training
  Nathan Stone, Steeve Pomerleau, Wes Neal
  
  Aquaculture/Fisheries Center personnel provided “hands-on” in-service training for new county Extension agents, and then developed an aquaculture/fisheries module for the on-line version (Year 1) in EDUCATOR software. In addition, two workshops were held for Arkansas Game and Fish Commission personnel. The first was on conflict resolution, and UAPB hosted an outside expert on the subject. The second workshop on water quality management was conducted by UAPB faculty and featured a hands-on problem solving session. Wes Neal organized the AGFC workshops, Steeve Pomerleau has led the on-line curriculum development, and Nathan Stone organized the county agent in-service.
   
• Youth Fishing Education
  Denise Symens
  
  The youth fishing education program has created a new set of educational materials available to county agents in the form of the fish education modules. These modules can be sent to or checked out by county agents, and include age appropriate aquatic ecology and fishing education materials. The youth fishing education trailer was recently renovated to allow easier storage of fishing poles, with Shakespeare rod and reel combos being replaced with Zebco 44 Classis combos. The Reel Into Sportfishing activity for the 4-H O’Rama competition was revised, and a 4-H O’Rama and Fishing Education workshop was conducted on April 19th, 2005 to familiarize agents with the revisions.