Aquaculture/Fisheries Center Extension

Extension Highlights

Below you will find the extension highlights for 2003. The highlights are broken down into two sections: Regional Extension Highlights, and another section dedicated to management, production, research, and educational extension highlights.

Regional Extension Highlights

Southeast Arkansas
Larry Dorman

In 2003, the downturn in the catfish industry continued and analysts predict an industry downsizing in the near future. With the industry, Extension programming is affected.

During 2003, the UAPB Lake Village laboratory had 850 diagnostic samples submitted. Approximately 350 of those samples were fish disease, with the remaining being fish pond or irrigation waters. Extension contacts for the year were 2,374. This number included phone contacts, requests, agent calls, and walk in contacts. Mass mail outs were not included in this number.

The specialist continues to work very closely with the Federal Lending Agency (FSA) and local banks in helping producers with fish inventory maintenance and production budgets. The specialist assisted 7 producers with inventory appraisals and production projections.

4H and youth development are an integral part of a total Extension Program. This specialist worked with 380 youths in several programs. Programs included a Fisheries Career Day at Daniel Middle School, Crossett, Arkansas; Big B Day in Chicot County; Fish 'Olympics' at UAPB, and as a judge for the tomato project at Lakeside Elementary School, Lake Village, Arkansas.

The program highlight for the year was the Improving Fishing in Farm Ponds 'In Service Training' at UAPB. This meeting was open to County Agents plus Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologists. Thirty people attended this meeting.
Northeast Arkansas
George Selden

During 2003, the UAPB fish disease lab in Newport received 52 diagnostic or fish inspection samples during the past year. Extension contacts numbers 780 for the year. This number included phone contacts, requests, and walk in contacts. Included were 60 contacts from county agents requesting information or help concerning water quality, fish kills, and/or aquatic vegetation control. This number excludes mass media contacts. During 2003, there was also an educational aquaculture program held on the campus of ASU-Newport.

Youth education and 4-H activities are an integral part of the total Extension Program. This specialist conducted the Bait casting/Fish ID contest for North East 4-H O'Rama. Also during the past year, this specialist took a lead role in organizing the 2003 UAPB Fish Olympics. Over 250 students and teachers, from nine schools, attended this event.

A program highlight for 2003 was a Pond Management Workshop conducted at UAPB. This meeting was open to County Cooperative Extension Agents and Arkansas Game & Fish Commission biologists. This meeting had thirty participants.

Production, Management and Research Extension Highlights

Farm Pond Management
Nathan Stone and Andrew Goodwin

In cooperation with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), a new version of MP 360, 'Farm Pond Management for Recreational Fishing' was developed. Research-based management strategies for certain species (e.g., black crappie) were included in an accompanying publication, MP447, 'Recreational Fishing in Small Impoundments: Alternative Management Options.' At the request of AGFC, a sportfish suppliers directory was prepared and delivered electronically to county Extension offices and the AGFC. A farm pond management in-service training for county Extension agents was held at UAPB. Participants all ranked the program as 'good' or 'excellent' and 100% felt the level of the workshop was 'about right.' UAPB - Aquaculture/Fisheries faculty also assisted with three county farm pond workshops.
Enhancement and Evaluation of the UFP
Wes Neal

Although urban and community fishing programs have existed in the United States for
more than 30 years, little work has been done to evaluate their success in recruiting new
anglers. The Aquaculture/Fisheries Center at UAPB, the Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission (AGFC), and the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological
Survey (BRD) are teaming up to provide information that can be used to address specific
questions that ultimately will contribute to enhancing urban and community fishing
programs in Arkansas. This new project will focus on five specific areas that are
considered critical to the UFP's success:
- Provide professional/technical support through the UAPB Aquaculture/Fisheries Center to enhance urban and community fishing in Arkansas.
- Provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of AGFC fishing derbies and their influence on fishing effort and harvest at derby locations.
- Provide an evaluation of the effect of species selection and stocking patterns at urban/community fishing locations on fishing effort and harvest rates through time.
- Evaluate and provide professional/technical support to the Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs Program (HOFNOD).
- Provide an evaluation of urban and community fishing projects and determine their influence on angler recruitment and retention.
This research is scheduled to begin July 1, 2004.
In-Pond Grading System- Grading Catfish for the Processing Markets
David Heikes

To more successfully compete with imported fish, the US catfish industry must increase production efficiency and reduce processing costs. Of critical importance is managing production and harvesting systems to provide a steady supply of appropriately-sized fish to processors. Size variation, oversized fish, and undersized fish cause the industry millions of dollars in increased processing costs each year.

An in pond fish grader originally developed at UAPB to grade fingerlings (and now widely adopted by the industry) has been scaled up and modified to handle thousands of pounds of large fish at a rate sufficient to meet the demands of harvester and farmers. The grader efficiently grades fish into 3 sizes (adjustably) and produces a product in a narrow size range that maximizes processing efficiency.

Successful demonstrations and actual use of the grader in commercial situations has occurred and collaborative work is underway with processors to adopt this new technology. Preliminary estimates by the largest catfish processor in Arkansas are that large tightly graded fish may increase plant output by nearly two-fold.
Improving aquaculture harvesting and grading
David Heikes

The in-pond grading technology developed at UAPB has been adopted on more than 15 major aquaculture production facilities. While previous work had focused on further developing fingerling grading technology, the most recent focus has been on improving grading of food-sized channel catfish at harvest. Several major improvements have been made to the in-pond fish grader design resulting in a renewed interest in food-fish grading at both the producer and processor level. Additionally, a new crowding system has been developed to decrease the labor and fish handling stress associated with grading and loading out catfish from production ponds. An in-depth economic analysis of the food-fish grading technology has been completed and confirmed that adoption of the UAPB fish grading technology has a positive net benefit at the producer level.
Distribution of fish to and support of public school aquaculture recirculating teaching systems
Bauer Duke, Nathan Stone and Carole Engle

Arkansas is the largest producer of baitfish and second largest producer of catfish in the U.S. Aquaculture systems that support these industries are becoming more complex and personnel are needed with appropriate skills.

UAPB Extension through the Fish Station provides schools in Arkansas with fish (usually tilapia) for recirculating systems. The fish are delivered in most cases to the school and guidance in the areas of recirculating systems operation, fish physiology and water chemistry is provided. Teachers then have access to UAPB Aquaculture personnel for any system troubleshooting. By providing these services students should become aware of aquaculture and where to further their aquaculture careers.

In the year 2000, 2001, and 2003, 16, 15 and 33 Arkansas schools received fish from the Fish Station, respectively. Eight high school teachers requested and received in-service training for in-class recirculating system management in 2003. Two students enrolled in the UAPB-Aquaculture and Fisheries program (2003 Fall Semester) as a result of exposure to in-class high school aquaculture systems.
Youth Fishing Education Trailer
Denise Symens

The youth fishing education trailer was created specifically to provide youth educational assistance to Extension agents. Agents can use the trailer to teach kids about fishing and the aquatic environment. The trailer has 75 fishing rods and reels (spincasting, baitcasting, spinning, fly rods), tackle, and other essential equipment needed for fishing. There are also fishing games and activities available to keep kids busy on a rainy day.

The trailer has been used by over 900 kids at 25 activities during the past two years. The trailer is mainly used in the summer months, with June and July being a very busy time for the trailer.
More efficient production and marketing of US farm raised catfish
Carole Engle, Kwamena Quagrainie and Bart Green

In the last two years, the American catfish industry has lost significant market share to imported fish and domestic prices experienced a precipitous drop. In order to survive this challenge, the US industry must produce their product more efficiently and improve their marketing to differentiate the US product from inferior quality imports.

In the past year, scientists at UAPB have conducted marketing research that has identified differences in consumer preference that can be successfully exploited by the industry to increase sales of the US product. Another study compared the marketing of US fish to that of other seafood products and identified additional areas where the industry needed to make changes in marketing strategies. Industry economic data has been analyzed and provided to the Catfish Farmers of America in support of their antidumping suit. Production studies were conducted in experimental ponds to determine which stocking and management strategies led to the most efficient production of the larger catfish now preferred by the processing industry.

At meetings with catfish producers, processors, and invited presentations to the Catfish Farmers of America, The Catfish Institute, and The Arkansas Catfish Promotion Board, opportunities for improving marketing and increasing production efficiency have been presented. Economic data provided to the Catfish Farmers of America was critical in their successful effort to block the dumping of low-priced imported fish into the US.
Fish Disease Biosecurity
Andrew Goodwin, Larry Dorman, Hugh Thomforde and George Selden

Infectious diseases are a major source of loss in commercial aquaculture. Reduction of these losses requires timely disease diagnosis, accurate management recommendations, and cooperative development of biosecurity programs.

UAPB maintain 4 fully equipped fish disease diagnostic laboratories. These have diagnosed more than 2300 cases in the last year and conducted numerous fish healthy inspections. Biosecurity education programs have been presented to the industry and foreign animal disease surveillance programs established in the bait and ornamental fish industries. New rapid diagnostic tests for viral disease of fish have been developed.

Two foreign animal diseases (koi herpes virus and Spring Viremia of Carp) have been discovered in the US. Our work has shown that KHV is now widely disseminated in the US and identified two of the 4 states known to harbor SVCV. The State of Arkansas is the Nation's largest producer of fish species susceptible to these viruses, but no cases of either of these diseases have occurred in Arkansas. The surveillance program has convincingly documented that the viruses are not present. In addition, if work done by the diagnostic program saves only 10% of the fish in ponds associated with diagnostic cases submitted to our laboratories (a very conservative estimate), savings to Arkansas farmers amount to more than $7,000,000/yr. In addition, more than 1,000,000 in fish every year are exported to other states and countries based on health inspections available only at UAPB.
Agricultural Trade Adjustments Assistance Act
Carole Engle, David Heikes, Larry Dorman and George Selden

TAA trainings were conducted in Lake Village (S.E.), Gin City (S.W.), and Newport (N.E.), Arkansas cash-flow based to qualify catfish farmers for this assistance. Financial management was emphasized in the training.
Educational programs for lenders and bank examiners
Carole Engle

A series of educational workshops were developed and conducted at the request of FDIC and the Arkansas Department of Banking. Workshops focused on economic conditions and trends affecting the implications for cash flow.
Yield verification
Steeve Pomerleau, David Heikes and Jeremy Trimpey

A new phase of catfish yield verification has been initiated with 2-yr based trials. Cooperating farms in both S.E. and N.E. Arkansas are participating.

A baitfish verification program has also been initiated that focuses on the production of juveniles from hatchery-reared fry. The protocol was developed in 2003 and the program is currently underway. Progress can be monitored on the website at: www.uaex.edu/aquaculture