Pond Culture of Channel Catfish in the North Central Region...Charnel catfish are known for their ability to withstand lower water qual-ity conditions, but limits do exist. These fish

In cooperation with USDA and theNCR Educational Materials ProjectUSDA grant #89-3SS00-4319

Pond Culture of Channel Catfishin the North Central Region

by J. E. Morris, Extension fisheries/aquaculture specialist, Department of Animal Ecology,

BackgroundThe channel catfish, Ictaluruspunctatus, is the principal warm waterspecies grown in the southeasternUnited States. In 1991 there were 390million lb. of channel catfish (liveweight) produced in this country,with the majority produced in Missis-sippi. The price of channel catfishdecreased in 1991 compared to 1990when the production was 30 millionlb. less. In December 1991 the price ofchannel catfish delivered to process-ing plants was $0.53/lb. compared to$0.72/lb. in December 1990 (liveweight). In wholesale terms, dressedwhole fish were $1.23/lb. in 1991 and$1.61/lb. in 1990 for the same timeperiod. At the 1991 prices many ofthe aquaculturists were either losingmoney or just breaking even. How-ever, both prices and productionincreased by December 1992. For fishdelivered to processing plants, theprice increased to $0.63/lb. with 457million lb. processed (live weight).

Charnel catfish is one of 37 differentspecies in the catfish familyIctaluridae. Closely related speciesare blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus;black bullhead, I. melas; brown bull-head, 1. nebulosus; and yellowbullhead, I. natnlis. This publicationwill concentrate on the culture of the channel catfish in this region.

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Physical CharacteristicsAs characteristic of the catfish family(Ictaluridae), the channel catfish has ascaleless, cylindrical body, sharpspines and mouth barbels (thread-likegrowths). It is the only spotted NorthAmerican catfish with a deeplyforked tail. Young charnel catfishhave irregularly shaped spots ontheir sides, which are lost as thecatfish ages.

Since the channel catfish is a warmwater species, optimal growth occurswhen water temperatures approach80°- 85F. Growth is limited whenwater temperature is less than 45°F orgreater than 95°F. The warm watertemperature preferred by the channelcatfish is the primary reason whytheir culture in the North Central Re-gion is limited.

This difference in the regions’ grow-ing season is exemplified by thecorresponding different air tempera-

North Central RegionalExtension Publication No. 444

October 1993

tures. In southern Arkansas, thereare 185-205 days where air tempera-ture is 65°F or higher while there areonly 120-140 of these days in theNorth Central Region. It is estimatedthat about 3-6 months of additionaltime (in consideration of seasonal dif-ferences) is required to produce amarket-sized fish in the North Cen-tral Region than in southern statessuch as Mississippi. Also, within theNorth Central Region, channel catfishgrowth rates would differ in Missouriversus Wisconsin.

Charnel catfish are known for theirability to withstand lower water qual-ity conditions, but limits do exist.These fish require dissolved oxygenof at least 4 parts per million (ppm) ormg/1 for routine maintenance, be-come stressed at 3 ppm and will dieat 1-2 ppm. Chronic low levels ofammonia will adversely affect theirhealth and growth. Additional waterchemistry restraints are noted inTable 1.

Culture PracticesSource of Brood StockIt maybe possible to obtain broodstock from established producers inyour area or other regions in thecountry. Channel catfish that havebeen domesticated throughseveral generations are preferable towild stocks. Domesticated brood

Table 1. Suggested safe limits of water quality variablesfor channel catfish culture, (Source: CommercialProduction of Farm-raised Catfish Louisiana StateUniversity Agriculture Center)

Variable RecommendedRange or Value

Total Alkalinity 20-400 ppmTotal Hardness 20-400 ppm

Ponds 20-400 ppmHatcheries above 10-20 ppm

pH 6-9Un-ionized Ammonia less than 0,05 ppmNitrite

Minimum Chloride: NitriteRatio minimum 5:1

Hydrogen Sulfide oCarbon Dioxide

Depends on Oxygen Level less than 20 ppmDissolved Oxygen 4 ppm or above

stock will readily spawn, accept artifi-cial diets, and exhibit increasedgrowth rates.

Broad Stack ConditioningGeneral layout of channel catfishculture is shown in Figure 1. Obtainbrood stock either in the fall prior toor at least two months before theonset of the spring spawning season.Brood stock should have robustbodies, be free of wounds anddiseases, and not be larger than 6-8 lb.While it is true that the larger the fish,the greater the quantity of gametes(eggs and sperm), it is also true thatolder, larger fish have gametes ofvarying quality. The size of thespawn (number of eggs) varies withthe health and condition of thefemale. Females weighing 3-4 lb.will produce approximately4,000 eggs/lb. of body weight.Females weighing more than 4 lb.will produce approximately3,000 eggs/lb. of body weight. Youshould strive to have good qualityfish that will reproduce on timeduring the spawning season.

During the wintermonths, prior tothe spawning sea-son, brood stockshould be fed onsunny days whenair temperature isabove 32F. Sincefood consumptionis limited by tem-perature, youshould feed be-tween 1/2 and 1percent of thepond’s total fishweight (biomass),2-3 times a weekas conditions al-low. The purposeof this winter feed-ing regime

is to maintain a fish’s weight, not in-crease it. Some aquaculturistswill try to ‘condition’ their broodstock during the winter monthsusing food ingredients such as freshliver or live bait fish. However,this conditioning process is ofquestionable value.

Spawning SeasonAt least 6-8 weeks prior to the onsetof the spawning season, brood stockshould be collected from their winter-ing ponds and brought to a commonfacility. At that time the fish shouldbe sexed and grouped for pairings.

The ratio of male to females maybe1:1,1:2 or 1:3 without significant im-pact upon the success of thefingerling production.

The sex of a channel catfish is gener-ally determined first by observationof the secondary sexual characteris-tics such as the broad, dark muscularhead of the males and the potbelly ofthe female (Figure 2). Additional sexdetermination can be done by turningthe fish onto its back and inserting astraw into the urogenital opening. Amale will often have a papilla at theposterior of the opening while the fe-male region will be slit-like (Figure 3).

The brood stock are then eitherplaced into ponds for free spawningor into pens for controlled spawning.Twenty pairs of fish per surface acreare used for the pond spawningmethod; do not exceed 1200 lb. /sur-face acre of brood stock. Penspawning is used in situations wherespecific pairing of brood fish are used for spawning. Pens should be about10 feet long and 5 feet wide; con-struction may be either fencing andwood or cement blocks, with a waterdepth of 2-3 feet. Since the principalmethod employed by mostaquaculturists is the pond method,further discussion will be based onthis method.

Selected Food FishStocked Brood Pond

Brood Fish SpawnJune

Fry StockedRearing Pond

July ,

Market

Food Fish Produced Fingerlings ProducedNovember of 2nd year August-November

or July of 3rd year 1st year

Fingerlings StockedFood Fish Pond—May

Figure 1. Example of catfish production cycle and market products

Channel catfish spawn in cavities. Ei-ther prior to or after the brood stockare stocked into the pond, 2-3 spawn-ing cans for each four pairs of fishshould be placed into the pond.These cans may be of variable con-struction (steel, aluminum, or plastic)but should all have only one openingand be about 10 gallons incapacity.Cans with small holes in the bottomare easier to lift since the water willdrain out. The cans should be placedinto 2-4 feet deep water with theopenings facing the middle of thepond. Floats attached to cans aid inlocating cans.

Spawning will began when water tem-perature is 75°-85 F; in this region thiswill be early to middle June. Femaleswill spawn once per year. As the wa-ter temperature approaches theoptimal spawning temperature, maleswill move into the cans to clean them Male Femaleand attract the females to their specificcan. Cans should be inspected every Figure 2. Secondary sexual characteristics of male and female channel

catfish brood stock.2-3 days for egg masses. You shouldbe aware that male catfish will try to (fish less than l-inch long) success-protect the nest; thus, be sure that the fully hatched is not immediatelycan is free of brood stock before plac- known. Also, the brood stock willing your hand into it. later have to be separated from these

fry. The hatchery method offers the

At the first appearance of eggs (a solidadvantages of numeration of fry and

gelatinous mass) the aquaculturistseparation of larvae and brood stock,but at an added cost in terms of time,

must then decide to either leave theeggs for parental hatching or remove

money, and management skills.

them for hatching in a hatchery. Pa-rental (male) hatching of the eggs is Survival of eggs to hatching is ap-initially cheaper but the number of fry proximately 75 percent. The most

Male FemaleFigure 3. Urogenital openings of male and female channel catfishbrood stock,

common hatchery method is to placethe eggs in hatching troughs withgood water agitation and adequatequality. The preferred water tempera-ture for hatching charnel catfish is75°-85°F. Channel catfish eggs willhatch in 5-7 days depending on watertemperature. Closer to the hatchingperiod, the egg masses will take on adeep red color. Newly hatched fryare often called sac-fry because dur-ing the first 45 days after hatchingthey have a yolk sac that is used fornutrition.

The fry are then placed into rearingtroughs. You should begin feedingfry when they first swim up to thesurface with their mouths open andtheir heads moving back and forth,looking for food. ‘Swim-up’ usuallyoccurs about 4-5 days after hatching.Channel catfish fry will become darkblack the closer the animals get to theswim-up stage. A high-protein feed(45-50 percent crude protein) shouldbe used at this time; typically, troutor salmon diets have been used with

TabLe 2. Length-weight relationship for channel catfish animals) forfingerlings and food fish, (Source: Commercial Produc- the youngtion of Farm-raised Catfish Louisiana State University) channel catfish.

Length Average Wt. No. of Avg. wt.(inches) Per Thousand Fish Per Per Finger. The fry stock-

(Pounds) Pound (Pounds) ing density1 1.3 767.7 0.0013 will determine2 3,5 285.7 0.0035 the size of fin-3 10,0 100,0 0.0100 gerlings (fish4 20.0 50,0 0,0200 larger than5 32.0 31.1 0.0321 l-inch long)6 60.0 17.0 0.0588 obtained in the7 93.0 10.8 0.0926 autumn. For8 112,0 9.0 0>1111 instance, in9 180.0 5.5 0.1818 southern cli-

10 328.0 3.1 0.3280 mates the11 395.0 2.5 0.3950 aquaculturist12 509.0 1.9 0.5090 will obtain13 656.0 1.5 0.6560 8-inch fish in14 850.0 1.1 0.8500 120 days by15 1090!0 0.92 1,0900 stocking fry at16 1290.0 0.82 1.2900 10,000 fish/17 1432,0 0.69 1,4320 acre, while18 1750,0 0.57 1,7500 only 2-inch fish

will be ob-some success, size 00 or O. Youshould feed fry at least six times aday. However, be sure not to causepoor water quality conditions, e.g.,low-dissolved oxygen levels orfungal growth, by over feeding.Spoiled feed must be siphoned offon a daily basis.

Hatchery operations are too de-tailed to describe further in thispublication. Manuals concerninghatchery operations are availablefrom several sources.

Fingerling ProductionChannel catfish fry are oftenplaced into culture ponds thathave been fertilized and filled 2-3weeks prior to being stocked.Ponds may be stocked with a vari-ety of organic fertilizers such asalfalfa meal and hay. It is not pos-sible to state specific fertilizationregimes since all ponds and loca-tions differ. The 2-3 week timeperiod before stocking the ponds isneeded to establish an adequateforage base of zooplankton (small

tained if 138,000 fry/acre arestocked. Considering the coolerclimate in this region, you shouldstock fry at lower stocking rates,such as 10,000-20,000 fry/acre toallow for the greatest amount ofgrowth possible. In the NorthCentral Region, it maybe pos-sible to obtain 7-inch fingerlingsin autumn by stocking fry at25,000 per sur-face acre.

Within days af-ter beingstocked, initialdaily feedingof fry shouldbegin. The ini-tial feedingrates are10-12 lb. of sizeO or 1 feed persurface acre ofwater. The fishshould beseined after theinitial 1-2weeks to deter-mine survival

and average size. As the fish grow,the aquaculturist needs to feed 4-5percent body weight daily and ad-just the pellet size accordingly;biweekly sampling with a 30-footseine allows you to obtain the av-erage size of fish present. If youknow that the average size of thefingerling is 3 inches, then by usingTable 2, you know that 30,000 fin-gerlings will weigh about 300 lb.Three hundred lb. of fish would re-quire approximately 12 lb. of fooddaily (four percent body weightfed). Fish larger than three inchesshould be able to consume 3/16-inchpellets containing 32-36 percentprotein.

Channel catfish are noted for theirhigh-feed conversion with fry andfingerlings converting 0.9 to 1.0 lb.of feed for each pound of fleshgained. The ratio during the sec-ond year of growth approaches 1.5to 2.0 lb. of feed per pound gained.

Fingerling HarvestSeines are used to harvest finger-lings in the months following theinitial stocking. Common meshsizes for harvesting fingerlings are1/4- to 1/2-inch square meshes. Seine

length varies, but generally itshould be 11/2 times as long and

Table 3, Recommended loading densities for haulingchannel catfish. Densities are for water temperature at65“F and under ideal aeration; reduce numbers by 25percent for each 10“F rise in water temperature.(Source: Catfish Farming in Florida, University of Florida.)

Number of Fish load Densityper pound (pounds fish/gallon water)

Transport Time (Hours)8 hrs 12 hrs 16 hrs

1 6.3 5.6 4,82 5.9 4.8 3.54 5.0 4.1 3.0

50 3.5 2.5 2.1125 3.0 2.2 1.8250 2.2 1.8 1.5500 1.8 1.7 1.3

1,000 1.3 1.0 0.710,000 0.2 0.2 0.2

deep as the width and depth of thepond. Seines should also have afloat line and a mud line.

Prior to the harvest, fish should notbe fed for at least 24 hours in orderto decrease stress and fouling oftanks. Hauling tank capacities arelisted in table 3. These capacitiesare affected by water chemistry,water temperature, amount of agi-tation (air input), and the size andcondition of the fish.

Harvest also should take place oncool mornings to decrease stressfrom extreme temperatures. Oncethe fish are taken to the holdingvats, they are graded into differentsize classes and sold to other pro-ducers or landowners, or used onsite for stocking of food fishponds.Sorting of these fish are most oftendone with floating graders of vary-ing dimensions. Table 4 lists thesedimensions and the subsequentfish size.

Food Fish ProductionA second year of production (if notmore) is needed to produce foodfish in this region. To compensatefor the shorter length of the grow-ing season in this region, youshould start in the spring with ad-vanced fingerlings of 8 inches orgreater. Because of their limitedavailability, these fish may be ex-pensive to obtain. Fingerlings areoften sold as number of fish perpound or average weight per thou-sand fish (Table 2).

Food fish operations are classifiedas either extensive or intensive onthe basis of pond yield and thelevel of management required.Extensive culture usually produces less than 1,500 lb. persurface acre while intensive cul-ture produces between 1,500 and5,000 lb. per surface acre. Exten-sive culture is generally usedwhere hobby farming or supple-mental farming is being used.Intensive culture is aimed at pro-ducing primary income.

Since fish are harvested whenthey reach 1 to 1.5 lb., the stock-ing rates are directly related tothe level of culture being usedand the management ability ofthe aquaculturist. Fish are feddaily a high-quality, complete 32-36 percent protein catfish feed.Fish larger than 3 inches can befed a 3/16-inch pellet; fish are usu-ally fed out on a 1/4-/5/16-, or 3/4inchpellet once they reach 1/2 poundweight. Fish are fed 3 percent oftheir body weight as water tem-perature allows (>70F). Fishshould be sampled every twoweeks to obtain average weight.In situations where cloudyweather has existed for 2-3 days,it is best not to feed (dissolvedoxygen becomes limiting due toplant and animal respiration).When water temperature exceeds95°F, it is best to not feed every 3days as fish at these temperaturesare often stressed to the point thatfeed is not being well utilized.Feeding less than 35 pounds offeed per surface acre-of pond perday will minimize low oxygen

Table 4. Grader sizes for Channel Catfish Fingerlings. problems(Source: Catfish Farming in Florida, University of Florida,) caused by high

Distance between Average Size of fish stocking

Grader Bars Fingerlings Retained rates and asso-

(inches) (inches)ciated feedingrates. During

27/64 3 the summer,32/64 4 feed should’40/64 5 not be stored48/64 7 longer than 30-

1 10 45 days. Fresh

Table 5. Net Mesh Sizes for Grad-ing and Harvesting, (source:Commercial Production of Farm-raised Catfish Louisiana StateUniversity Agricultural Center)

Square Mesh Holds Fish Larger(inches) (or equal to)21 3/41 5/81 3/813/41/23/81/4

2 lb.1 1/2 lb.1 lb.3/4 lb.’1/2 lb. (8-10 in,)0.1 lb. (7-8 in.)4-5 in.3-4 in.1-2 in.

feed assures both quality andpaletability.

Food Fish Harvestand ProcessingOnce channel catfish have reachedharvest size (1 to l 1/2 lb.), largeseines are used to harvest the fish.As with fingerlings, seine length issimilarly determined by pond di-mensions; however, mesh size canbe used to determine size of fishbeing harvested (Table 5). Fish aretransported to the processingpoints using live-haul trucks withclean, fresh water. Capacities ofthese tanks should be noted usingtable 3. As with the fingerlings,fish should be harvested on cooldays and not be fed at least 24hours prior to harvesting to reducetheir stress and decrease haulingtank fouling.

Catfish may be either skinned orfilleted. Fish that have beenskinned, head and entrails re-moved will usually dress out at 55to 60 percent. If the fish are fil-leted, the dress-out weight will be40 to 45 percent. The fish flesh isthen rinsed off and packaged forsale as fresh or frozen fish.

Other ConsiderationsDisease is a common problem inaquaculture; the wide variety of dis-eases prevents a detailed discussionhere. The best advice to help preventdisease out-breaks is to minimizestress associated with poor handlingor water quality conditions. Whenbuying fish from another producer, anaquaculturist should look for robustfish relatively free of wounds.

Marketing is another topic that shouldbe considered by the aquaculturistprior to raising fish. Potential marketsshould be assessed and high-qualitystandards maintained in order to com-pete against larger, more establishedbusinesses. Creative marketing suchas fee fishing and niche marketingshould be investigated.

Suggested ReadingsAmmerrnan, G. R. 1989. Processing

channel catfish. Southern RegionalAquaculture Center Publication183.4 pp.

Boyd, C. E. 1990. Water Quality inPonds for Aquaculture. AlabamaAgricultural Experiment Station,Auburn University, Alabama.482 pp.

Gilbert, R. J. 1989. Small-Scale Market-ing of Aquaculture Products.Southern Regional AquacultureCenter Publication 350.4 pp.

Huner, J. V. and H. K. Dupree. 1984.Methods and economics ofchannel catfish production, andtechniques for the culture of flat-head catfish and other catfishes.Pages 44-82 in Third Report to theFish Farmers: The Status ofWarmwater Fish Farming andProgress in Fish Farming Research.1984. H. K. Dupree and J. V.Huner (editors). U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, Washington, D.C.

Lee, J. S. 1991. Commercial CatfishFarming. Interstate Publishers,Danville, IL.

Jensen, G. L. 1988. Commercial Pro-duction of Farm-raised Catfish.Louisiana State University Agri-culture Center Publication. BatonRouge, LA. 67 pp.

McGilbery, J. H., V. Culver, G.Brooks, K. Hood, S. Dean and D.LaBruyere. 1989. Processed catfish:product forms, packaging,yields and product mix. Southern Re-gional Aquaculture CenterPublication 184.4 pp.

McGilbery, J. H., V. Culver, G.Brooks, K. Hood, S. Dean and D.LaBruyere. 1989. Processed catfish.Southern Regional AquacultureCenter Publication 185.4 pp.

Morris, J.E. Managing Iowa Fisheries:Water Quality. Iowa State Univer-sity Extension Service PublicationPm-1352a. 8 pp.

Masser, M., J. Jensen and J. Crews.1991. Channel Catfish Production inPonds. Alabama Cooperative Ex-tension Publication CircularANR-195, Auburn University,Alabama. 22 pp.

Wellbom, T. A. 1988. Channel catfish:life history and biology. SouthernRegional Aquaculture Center Pub-lication 180.4 pp.

Wellborn, T. A. 1989. Feeding inten-sively cultured catfish in levee-typeponds. Southern RegionalAquaculture Center Publication181.4 pp.

MagazinesAquaculture MagazineP.O. Box 239Asheville, NC 28802

The Aquaculture NewsP.O. Box 416Jonesville, LA 71343

Water Farming Journal3400 Neyrey DriveMetairie, LA 70002

The Catfish JournalP.O. Box 55648Jackson, MS 39296

Contact your state extension specialist(s) for the above information sourcesand other pertinent information regarding channel catfish culture.

Series Editor: Joseph E. Morris, Associate Director, North Central Regional Aquaculture Center.Design by Valerie King, King Graphics, Grand Junction, lowa,

Artwork by Julie Wojcik,

Originally published at lowa State University, Ames, lowa.Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s),

and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of Agriculture.

North Central Regional Extension Fact Sheet Programs and activities of the Cooperative Extension North Central Regional Extension Publications are

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Kansas, Ohio and Lincoln University, For copies of thispublication, contact an Extension unit in one of thesponsoring states.

April 1993 Printed onRecycled Paper

grant universities of the 12 North Central States, incooperation with the Extension Servic - U.S.Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. Thefollowing states cooperated in making this publicationavailable: Illinois, Indiana, lowa, Kansas, Lincoln Univ.,Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, NorthDakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin

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