Aquaculture/Fisheries Center Extension

Extension Highlights (2004)

Welcome to the 2004 extension highlights page. Below you will find a brief overview of the 2004 highlights.

For a more detailed explanation of our extension highlights, please click [here].

You may also like to visit the extension highlights from other years:

2005

2004

2003

Overview

During the previous year over 3,000 Extension contacts were made, not including those reached via mass media. Last year the Lake Village Fish Disease Diagnostic Laboratory processed over 1,000 diagnostic cases. The laboratory services a five county area in Southeast Arkansas, which has a diverse aquaculture industry of which over 30,000 acres devoted to production. Species reared within this area include channel catfish food fish and fingerlings, hybrid striped bass, golden shiner, fathead minnow, grass carp, bighead carp, tilapia, Malaysian freshwater prawn, and the Pacific white shrimp.

Program highlights included a Financial Workshop for catfish producers. This was an all day program in which participants were introduced to using spread- sheets for financial analysis and to determine individual farm liquidity. Thirteen producers participated in this workshop. In addition specialist worked closely with local and federal lending institutions on maintaining farm inventories. Specialist conducted fish inventory appraisals on 10 separate farms.

Specialist continues to work close with local vocational-technical institutions aquaculture program, serving as a guest lecturer on three occasions. In addition specialist worked with youth activities by conducting competitive activity at Chicot County 4-H Big-B Day. Specialist was also a guest speaker for the Career Day at Daniel Middle School, Crossett, Arkansas. Specialist presented information on Careers in Aquaculture.

Three Demonstrations were held in the area. One demonstration involved the use of the “In Pond Fingerling Grading System” developed by David Heikes of the UAPB Aquaculture/Fisheries Center. The other two demonstrations involved field studies. The first field study evaluated copper sulfate movements in commercial size catfish ponds. Study revealed hanging a burlap bag containing copper sulfate behind an aerator was an ineffective means of distributing copper sulfate in a commercial size (4 ha) pond. The second field study evaluated diruon use for off flavor control in 9 commercial catfish ponds. Study revealed 6 of 9 ponds came “on flavor” by the fifth diuron treatment.