Spawning Baitfishes

Larry W. Dorman
Extension Fisheries Specialist

Introduction

    Three major fish species are cultured for bait – the golden shiner, Notemigonus crysoleucas; the goldfish, Carassius auratus; and the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas. The golden shiner and goldfish have similar culture methods. Cultural methods for fathead minnows differ because they deposit their eggs on the underside of a hard, smooth spawning surface. Golden shiners and goldfish spawn on vegetation.
    These species are easily spawned, but several factors influence egg laying and fry survival. These include water temperature during the hatching process, food availability for fry, predation on eggs and fry by large zooplankton species, cannibalism, and brood fish stocking density. These are some factors which ultimately affect yields.

Water Management

    Dry ponds are filled just prior to spawning season. Broodfish are then stocked and spawning materials are placed around the edge of the pond. This method requires the maximum amount of water, thus is the most expensive.
    Alternative water use methods are now being implemented. However, these are in the experimental stages and results are varied. Two alternatives include use of surface (rain) water and water "reuse" from adjacent ponds or from ponds used for grow out in the past season.
    Surface water use includes catching rain water during the winter months and spawning in the water during spring. There are two problems; the water must be treated to kill predacious insects prior to spawning and the pond must be limed. Rain water has no dissolved minerals. Liming adds minerals that stabilize against drastic pH changes which would kill fry.
    Water "reuse" involves transfer of water from one pond to another instead of filling with ground water. This method requires a system of interconnected drainages or a number of relift type pumps. Problems occur when fertility builds up. Dense plankton blooms and organic matter encourages fungal growth on the spawning mats, thus killing eggs.
    Using "old water" from last year's grow out and some pumping from wells can be used with any baitfish spawning method. Enough fish are left after seining to serve as broodstock. Fresh water is added to start spawning activity.

Spawning Golden Shiners and Goldfish

1. Wild Spawn Method

    This is the simplest, least intensive method. Lower the water level in the pond during mid-March – early April to expose shoreline. Sow ryegrass on the exposed ground or let natural vegetation develop. The grass or vegetation provides an excellent spawning bed.
    Refill the pond and stock the broodfish. Golden shiners are stocked at 20 to 40 pounds of ungraded broodstock per acre. The preferred size range is 80 to 125 fish per pound (8 to 12 pounds per 1,000). Fish as small as 333 fish per pound (3 pounds per 1,000) may be used. Yearling broodstock should be used. Older fish are likely to be infected by an ovarian parasite, Pleistophora ovarie.
    Goldfish are stocked according to the size of the broodfish and how the producer will market them. For example, will they be sold as feeders, crappie bait, or trot-line bait? The recommended stocking rate ranges from 8 to 18 pounds of fish per acre (17 to 25 fish per pound). Fish weighing 1/4 to 1/2 pound each have been used, but broodfish that size may be diseased and are unreliable spawners.
    When spawning season is completed, the adults should be removed. This prevents disease spreading from adult to young and gives the young more growing space. The young are left to grow to the desired market size.

2. Egg Transfer Method

    This is a more intensive method than wild spawning. Golden shiners are stocked at 400 to 500 pounds per acre, again ungraded brood, yearling fish, the same size as in the previous method. Goldfish are stocked at a rate of 800 to 1,000 pounds per acre. Make sure the brood pond is free of any aquatic vegetation.
    Prior to spawning, mats are placed in the pond. Place the mats in shallow areas with one side at the edge of the pond, just below the water surface. There is no set number of mats for brood ponds, but it is not uncommon to use 200 to 300 mats per acre. Put out only as many mats as the fish can cover with eggs in a short period, 12 to 24 hours or until mats are one-fourth covered with eggs and increase the number of mats as spawning activity increases.        When the mats are covered with eggs, they should be moved to rearing ponds for hatching. Depending on the number of eggs per mat, the number of mats stocked per acre in golden shiner ponds may vary from 50 to 75. For goldfish, 50 to 150 mats are stocked per acre. Hatching occurs 4 to 5 days after spawning in 75 degree water.
    When hatching is completed, mats should be removed. It is a good idea to disinfect mats before reuse. Disinfect with a 10 percent chlorine (HTH) solution. Allow mats to dry and store them.

3. Fry Transfer Method

    For this method, fry are produced by either of the previous methods. The fry are trapped, counted and then transferred to rearing ponds. Brood ponds are purposely overstocked so that large quantities of fry, as high as 500,000 – 1 million per acre, are produced.
    When the fry are 30 days old (3/4 to 1 inch in length) they can be transferred. They are removed by use of lift traps and short, fine mesh seines. It is best to move fry early in the day, or during cloudy weather, when the water is coolest.
    The number of fry is determined by the following method: Count the number of fry in one ounce of pond water. Multiply this amount by the number of ounces transferred. Usually, fry are transferred in a graduated quart bucket, so if there are 200 fry per ounce, then the volume of fry needed to yield a stocking rate of 200,000 is 31.25 quarts (1,000 ounces) per acre.
    Stocking densities are dependent upon the following: How soon saleable fish are needed, what size fish are needed, the level of pond management (intensive and extensive), and length of the growing season. For golden shiners, rates vary from 50,000 to 200,000 per acre. Goldfish are stocked 25,000 to 1 miller per acre. Both species are transferred when they reach 3/4 inch in length.

Spawning Fathead Minnows

    Fathead minnows are fractional spawners, releasing only a few eggs during each spawn. Golden shiners and goldfish are complete spawners, releasing all eggs during spawning. Due to these spawning differences, culture of fathead minnows is restricted to the wild spawn or fry transfer method.

1. Wild Spawn Method

    In this method, broodfish are stocked at a rate of 500 to 2,000 fish per acre or 3 1/2 to 14 pounds per acre. The preferred size is 2 1/2 inch length and/or weight of 4 pounds per 1,000 (250 fish per pound).
    Spawning materials include sheet metal, pieces of tile, boards, and wooden pallets. Many producers use 4 by 12 inch boards stapled to a wire stretched parallel to the pond bank. Eggs are deposited on the underside of the spawning material.
    Problems with wild spawning are that ponds become overpopulated and stunting occurs. Fatheads spawn until the fall as long as water temperature remains ideal, between 65 and 85 degrees F.

2. Fry Transfer Method

    This is the favorite method of producers. Spawning ponds are stocked with 20,000 to 25,000 fish per acre, or 170 to 215 pounds of fish per acre. Preferred size is a 2 1/2 inch fish. This stocking rate can produce 1/2 million to 1 1/2 million fry, but good management is needed to attain this level.
    The fry are captured, counted, and handled in the same way as golden shiners and goldfish. Fry are stocked at a rate of 50,000 to 300,000 per acre. Stocking densities are based on the same factors as with golden shiners.

 

 LARRY W. DORMAN is Extension fisheries specialist, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. His office is in Lonoke. Original manuscript prepared by Mr. Dorman and D. Leroy Gray, Extension fisheries specialist, retired.

 FSA9003R-3M-7-93-S492

Issued in furtherance of Extension work, Act of September 29, 1977, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dr. Mazo Price, Director, Cooperative Extension Program, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Program offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability, and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.