Tag Luke A. Roy

A study tested the use of biofloc technology to improve the productivity of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) a commercially important baitfish in North America. 

An in-pond raceway system in Alabama was utilized to supply various niche markets, including Asian grocery store chains that desired fresh live fish, recreational pond stocking businesses, private pond owners and fee fishing operations. In many cases, a higher price was achieved. 

The production period for largemouth bass in ponds hampers the economic feasibility of pond culture in the United States. A study demonstrated that bass fingerlings could be raised at high densities in a semi-closed recirculating system without serious mortality, size variability or growth retardation. 

By dividing ponds into smaller, more controllable areas, IPRS can substantially reduce chemical treatment costs, improve treatment delivery and allow new treatments that are cost-prohibitive in traditional pond settings. 

Field trails in Alabama, USA, demonstrated the potential of raising striped mullet with Pacific white shrimp in inland ponds. Using wild-caught fingerlings at low density, the trials found the same survival rates as for mullet and shrimp grown separately. 

In a white shrimp farm trial in a low-salinity environment, alternatives to fishmeal did not negatively impact the growth, survival or FCR of the shrimp. 

In an experiment in which tilapia were sorted by size and reared separately, large individuals maintained their size advantage after eight weeks of culture.