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Research on stocker catfish production Steeve
Pomerleau and Carole Engle 2000 – 2001 Production of Stocker-Size Channel Catfish: Effect of Stocking Density
on Production Characteristics, Costs, and Economic Risk. A study on stocker catfish
production in earthen ponds was conducted to analyze the effect of stocking
density on net yield, growth, final size, feed conversion ratio, and cost of
production. Vat-graded catfish fingerlings averaging 2.5 g (2-3 inches) were
stocked into twelve 0.25-ac earthen ponds at 20,000; 40,000; or 60,000
fingerlings/ac. Fish were fed to satiation and harvested 166-171 d after
stocking. Net yields for the low, medium and high-density treatments averaged
3,874; 5,550; and 6,451 lb/ac, respectively. Fingerlings stocked at the lowest
density reached a size significantly larger (387 lb/1,000 or 10.7 in) than
fingerlings stocked at the medium (298 lb/1,000 or 9.7 in) and high-density
treatments (252 lb/1,000 or 9.2 in). Mean condition factors ranged from 0.88 to
0.91. Mean survival ranged from 45 to 51%. The lowest breakeven cost/lb ($0.67)
was at the medium-density treatment. Breakeven costs/lb for the low and
high-density treatments were $0.73 and $0.72/lb, respectively. The study
suggested that the medium stocking density (100,000/ha) was the lowest cost and
lowest risk strategy in terms of cost/lb. However, additional research is
necessary with whole-farm modeling to determine whether this strategy would be
the most profitable farm-level strategy for a growout operation. Results published in: Pomerleau, S. and C. R. Engle.
2003. Production of stocker-size channel catfish: effect of
stocking density on production characteristics, costs, and economic risk.
North American Journal of Aquaculture 65: 112-119. 2001 – 2002 Production
of Stocker-Size Channel Catfish Ictalurus
punctatus: Effect of Fingerling Size at Stocking on Production
Characteristics, Costs, and Economic Risk. A pond production study was
conducted to estimate costs of producing catfish stockers from different
fingerling sizes and to analyze the effect of fingerling size at stocking on net
yield, growth, final size, and feed conversion ratio of stockers produced, and
to measure effects of stochastic fluctuations on break-even costs. Vat-graded
catfish averaging 4 and 6 inch were stocked into eight 0.25-ac ponds at 40,000
fingerlings/ha. Fish were fed once daily to apparent satiation and harvested 210
d after stocking. There were no significant differences (P
> 0.10) in yield, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and survival across
treatments. Net yield averaged
6,787 lb/ac; FCR averaged 2.0 ±
0.6; and survival averaged 33 ±
10%. The 6-in fingerlings reached a size significantly larger (795 lb/1,000 or
12.9 in) than the 4-in fingerlings (563 lb/1,000 or 11.7 in) (P < 0.07). 2002 – 2003 The Effect of On-Farm Production of Various Sizes of Stocker Catfish Ictalurus
punctatus on Farm Profitability. The effect of on-farm production
of various sizes of stocker catfish Ictalurus
punctatus on farm profitability was compared to profitability of
understocking fingerlings directly into multiple-batch growout production. Enterprise
budgets were developed based on three sizes of farm (160, 320, and 640 ac) and
eight production strategies. Five strategies involved the production of
large-stockers (0.25, 0.30, 0.40, 0.56, and 0.80 lb) thereafter stocked in
growout ponds at 4,500 head/ac, in single-batch production. The three other
strategies involved buying and understocking fingerlings (13, and 26 lb/1,000)
or small-stockers (82 lb/1,000) directly into growout ponds at 6,000 head/ac
with 1,200 lb/ac of large 1.3-lb catfish to simulate multiple-batch production.
The baseline budget analysis indicated that the small-stocker (82 lb/1,000)
strategy was the most profitable strategy for the three sizes of farm. The
second most important profit-maximizing strategy was the single-batch 0.56-lb
large-stocker strategy for the larger farm sizes. However, it was the 26
lb/1,000 fingerling strategy for the smaller farm. This static analysis
indicated the profit-maximizing strategies for a single year. However, the
analysis did not consider the effect of each strategy on farm profitability over
multiple years, the increased risk of mortalities and off-flavor, nor the
logistics of producing and stocking successive batches of stockers throughout
the season across the whole farm. Additional research is needed in a dynamic
framework to evaluate the effects of these additional factors. 2003 – 2004 Optimal Strategies for Producing Stocker Catfish Ictalurus punctatus
on Farms. The objective is to identify optimal stocker production strategies using linear programming model techniques that would maximize profits of a whole catfish farm, with respect to the size of fingerlings stocked, stocking densities, and pond allocation between stocker production, and growout. A two-year catfish farm model was developed using mathematical programming techniques. The linear programming (LP) model focused strictly on the modular catfish production system and was designed to select the optimal stocker production strategy that maximize expected net returns over a two-year period when subject to pond balance, fish balance and other production constraints. |
