Reproduction, maturation, and seed production of cultured species: Proceedings of the Twelfth U.S.-Japan Meeting on Aquaculture, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, October 25-29, 1983

The United States and Japanese counterpart panels on aquaculture were formed in 1969 under the United States-Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR). The panels currently include specialists drawn from the federal departments most concerned with aquaculture. Charged with exploring and developing bilateral cooperation, the panels have focused their efforts on exchanging information related to aquaculture which could be of benefit to both countries. The UJNR was begun during the Third Cabinet-Level Meeting of the Joint United States-Japan Committee on Trade and Economic Affairs in January 1964. In addition to aquaculture, current subjects in the program include desalination of seawater, toxic microorganisms, air pollution, energy, forage crops, national park management, mycoplasmosis, wind and seismic effects, protein resources, forestry, and several joint panels and committees in marine resources research, development, and utilization. Accomplishments include: Increased communication and cooperation among technical specialists; exchanges of information, data, and research findings; annual meetings of the panels, a policy-coordinative body; administrative staff meetings; exchanges of equipment, materials, and samples; several major technical conferences; and beneficial effects on international relations. (PDF file contains 79 pages.)

Management of broodstock and quality control of fish seed in Hungary

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) breeding has a long tradition in Hungary. However, recent economic changes in Eastern Europe and new developments in aquaculture necessitated the need for ensuring quality of the brood stock used in hatcheries and the legal and institutional frameworks needed to implement the program. In addition to good research and development programs and gene banking, it became essential to establish an appropriate legal framework, organize, coordinate and control breeding activities, and provide financial support. It was a major breakthrough for carp breeding when C.carpio was recognized as one of the cultivated animals in the Animal Breeding Act in 1993. The Carp Breeding Section of the Hungarian Fish Producers Association plays an important role in carp breeding programs. Thirteen breeding farms of the Carp Breeding Section have 24 certified C.carpio varieties. In Hungary, about 80 % of the seed used as stocking for commercial production are from high quality certified breeders.

Growth response of Heterobranchus longifilis (Valenciennes, 1840) fingerlings fed raw and boiled Mucuna cochinchinensis seed meal

Feeding trial was conducted in static water to assess the growth of H. longifilis fingerlings fed different I inclusion levels of mucuna seed meal (MSM). Raw and boiled MSM were used in the diets at 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% inclusion levels and the performance of fish fed these diets was compared with fish fed a fishmeal-based diet which contained 40% protein. All diets were prepared to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric A two by five factorial experiment with three replicates using ten fish of average initial weight 1 .46g was carried out. Daily fish ration of five percent body weight was administered two times for eight weeks. The specific growth rate in diets 1 (control) and 6(10% boiled MSM) were similar and significantly (P<0.05) higher than the other dietary groups. The significantly lower growth performance of fish fed diets containing higher inclusion levels of both raw and boiled MSM might be due to incomplete elimination of the antinutritional factors present in MSM by boiling. Other methods of processing MSM to improve its nutritive value should be investigated. (7 page document)

Ras Behari’s guide to buying fish seed

Document contains 4 pages.

Seed Longevity of Melaleuca quinquenervia: A Burial Experiment in South Florida

Burial and removal techniques with seed bags were used to examine the viability and longevity of Melaleuca quinquenervia seeds at four field sites representing different soil types and hydrological conditions in South Florida. Seed viability was determined over different burial durations in the soil through a combination of germination tests and 2,3,5-triphenyl- tetrazolium chloride (TTC) treatments. Control seeds kept dry at 25 C in the laboratory maintained same viability of ca. 15% over the 3-year study. In the field, seed viability decreased with increased burial duration.(PDF has 4 pages.)

Enhancing Seed Availability For the Hard Clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) Aquaculture Industry By Applying Remote Setting Techniques

The goal of this study was to test a technology that may help ensure a reliable and consistent supply of high quality and inexpensive clam seed to growers, thus fostering an emerging aquaculture industry by eliminating a seed shortage that limits sustainability. The overall objectives were to develop, test and demonstrate technical procedures and determine the financial feasibility of transferring remote setting technology from the Pacific Northwest molluscan shellfish industry to the hard clam aquaculture industry in Florida. (PDF has 44 pages.)

Preliminary studies of the dual role of cotton-seed cake as fish feed and fish pond fertilizer in aquaculture

Many locally available fish feeds have been tried in fish culture. These include guinea corn, soya bean, groundnut cake and rice bran. Cotton seed cake has been successfully used as a fishpond organic fertilizer at Ado-Ekiti Government fish farm. Three fishponds stocked respectively with common carps, Heterotis, Tilapia spp., Clarias lazera and Heterobranchus were fed with cotton seed cake. Carps, Tilapia and Heterotis increased rapidly in weight and length while the catifishes did not grow

Investment opportunities in fish seed technology

An examination is made of the requirements for the commercial propagation of carp and tilapia in Nigeria. It is concluded that the operation of a successful Fish Hatchery and fry production system will depend on the following factors: 1) Correct initial planning for intended production (both species and intended numbers); 2) Design of the appropriate facilities to enable required production; 3) Selection of top calibre, dedicated and experienced hatchery staff; and, 4) The ethical responsibility taken by the hatchery management to produce only the highest quality seed under the best possible conditions. Purchasing farmers are dependent on this

Feed conversion, protein efficiency, digestibility and growth performance of Oreochromis niloticus fed Delonix regia seed meal

Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings (mean weight 5.27~c0.29g) were fed raw and boiled Delonix regia seed meals following standard procedures. The weight gain, specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein utilization (NPU) were determined as growth indices. Diet formulated with seed boiled for 80 minutes showed significantly (P<0.05) high values for the growth indices. Carcass nutrients composition were significantly (P<0.05) higher than in the control (raw) diet. Delonix regia seed meal when boiled has high potential of being utilized efficiently by O.niloticus. The implications of the respective index in fish metabolism are discussed

Potentials of castor seed meal (Ricinus communis L.) as feed ingredient for Oreochromis niloticus

The potentials of castor seed (Ricinus communis) meal as feed ingredient for Oreochromis niloticus was determined by using boiled seeds to prepare five diets which were fed to the fish species. The effects of the experimental diets on the weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, apparent net protein utilization, digestibility and carcass composition were investigated. The best of these growth factors were obtained with feed formulated from R. communis seeds boiled for 50 and 65 minutes. The highest carcass protein content was observed with fish fed with 65 minute-boiled seeds

Electric fishing survey of the gravel addition sites on the River Wyre, Grizedale Beck and Joshua's Beck.

Although geographically the River Wyre lies between two rivers containing major migrations of adult salmon and sea trout, its rod & line fisheries have for a number of years produced exceptionally low catches. In order to determine the causes of this the Wyre Salmon and Sea trout Restoration Group (WSSRG) was conceived in 1994 as a partnership between the then National Rivers Authority (now Environment Agency), local landowners, angling clubs and interested parties. Two studies of 1994 and 1995 stated that there is a shortage of useable spawning gravels on the river. This is compounded by Abbeystead Reservoir acting as a gravel trap, the siltation of gravels on several side becks and problems with access to available gravels by returning adults. There was also perceived to be a need for accurate fishery data from the river encompassing redd counts, catch data and surveys of fry populations. The 1995 report suggested a number of management proposals which might be adopted in order to improve and create available spawning habitat for migratory salmonids. Funding was made available to create three spawning gravels on each of two side becks (Grizedale Beck and Joshua's Beck) and the addition of gravels to a site oh the main river below Abbeystead Reservoir. Modifications were also made to the fish pass at Abbeystead to allow easier passage of fish. These improvements were made in the autumn of 1995. Salmonid spawning redd counting was undertaken on the whole Wyre catchment in 1995/1996 and specific surveys by electric fishing on the gravel enhancement sites in the summer of 1996. This report details the current state of the improvement works that were undertaken and presents the results of electric fishing surveys in September 1996. A number of lessons have been learnt which will be of great benefit to the Fisheries Function in other parts of the Wyre catchment and the Central Area in general.

Pawpaw seed as fertility control agent on male Nile tilapia

To find out if pawpaw (Carica papaya) seeds can induce sterility in male Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and to determine if sterility so induced is reversible or otherwise, mature male tilapia of mean weight 40 g were treated for 30 days with a low dose (4.9 g/kg/day) and a high dose (9.8 g/kg/day) of ground pawpaw seeds incorporated into their feed. Fish of similar sizes in the control experiment were fed with feed that did not contain pawpaw seed. The pawpaw seeds induced permanent sterility in the fish that received the high dose, while sterility in the low dose treatment was reversible. Fish in the control experiment spawned two weeks into the experiment and again in the fifth week. Fish in the low dose treatment spawned three weeks after the treatment had been discontinued. Histological sections of the testes showed that pawpaw seeds produced swollen nuclei in the low dose treatment and disintegrated cells in the high dose treatment. The study showed that pawpaw seeds, which are easy to obtain, can be incorporated into fish feeds and used by farmers to control prolific breeding of Nile tilapia.