Pond culture of mud crab (Scylla serrata): an economic analysis

The findings are presented of a study conducted to determine the economic feasibility of the pond culture of mud crab (Scylla serrata) at various stocking densities. Investments, costs, and returns are given for a 1 ha crab monoculture at 4 stocking densities - 5000, 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000. Results show that mud crab monoculture in brackishwater ponds is economically feasible at stocking densities of 5000/ha and 10,000/ha.

The WISH pond: potential for development of aquaculture in northeast Cambodia

In Cambodia, fish provide a major source of animal protein for rural households. Capture fisheries have declined and aquaculture has been identified as playing an important role in food and nutritional security and rural income generation. In 2011, WorldFish, in partnership with the Stung Treng Fishery Administration Cantonment and the Culture and Environment Preservation Association, aimed at improving the uptake of small-scale aquaculture by communities with limited experience in fish culture in Stung Treng Province in northeast Cambodia. The system was given the name “WISH ponds,” derived from the combination of the words "water" and "fish" to reflect the integration of fish cultivation with water for storage and vegetable growing. It was targeted towards households with limited space to construct large aquaculture ponds, such as peri-urban households. The study indicated that WISH ponds can create an important learning platform for communities to address challenges associated with small-scale aquaculture development by using scientific data generated and owned by the participants. Results from this 2011 study provided important insights into the challenges and constraints for introducing small-scale aquaculture into rural households in Cambodia. In mid-2013, WorldFish won a Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation grant, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, to build upon its successful engagement with communities in northeast Cambodia where WISH ponds had already been introduced and investigate scaling this technology to establish more WISH ponds in these communities.

Cestodes in fish from a pond at Ile-Ife, Nigeria

The Farm Pond, University of Ife, was impounded by the construction of a dam, below the confluence of two small streams, between March and July, 1967. The pond is located at an altitude of 122.4 m. 0.D., its outline is an indented trapezium occupying 445 dkrn' at maximum fill. Natural food is fed into the pond by its two inlets, and the pond is often coloured a darkish brown due to the abundance of plankton. In 1969, on the recommendation by the Fishery Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ibadan, about four standard head-pans of poultry droppings per 40 dkm2 per month were spread uniformly over the pond during 1969 and 1970. Also four pounds of triple superphosphate per acre per month were spread for a period of six months. The pond was drained a number of times in 1970. However, the lowest average level of 1.37 m was recorded in April, 1970, before drainage began; and the maximum depth of 5.7 m was recorded in September and October, 1970.

Effects of incubation temperatures on embryonic development in the Asian yellow pond turtle

The Asian yellow pond turtle, Mauremys mutica (Cantor), is a potential aquaculture target in China owing to the higher values for food and remedy than other species of turtle. In this study, color and morphological changes of fertilized eggs were observed during embryogenesis, and the effects of incubation temperature on embryonic development were analyzed. Both calcium layer and membrane layer are thicker in the middle portion of egg-shell than that in the terminal portion, and become thinner after embryo hatching than before embryonic development. Significant change in the white spot and subsequent white ring on the eggshell occurs during embryonic development. Of five different incubation temperatures used to investigate the effects of incubation temperatures on embryonic development, 29.0 +/- 0.5 degrees C was optimal for embryo survival and development. Moreover, the incubation temperature of 33.0 +/- 0.5 degrees C was harmful effect to embryonic development. The data provide important and useful information for husbandry and management of the Asian yellow pond turtle. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relationship between organic carbon concentration and potential pond bottom soil respiration

There was a positive correlation between the concentration of organic carbon and potential respiration as measured by carbon dioxide evolution (R-2 = 0.923) and oxygen consumption (R-2 = 0.986) in soil samples collected from the bottoms of drained ponds. This finding supports the frequent use of organic carbon analysis as an indicator of sediment respiration rate under optimal conditions in commercial aquaculture facilities. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Survival, growth, sex ratio, and maturity of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) reared in a Chinese pond

Aspects of the biology of pond-cultured Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne-Edwards) were studied from June to November 1993. The survival rate of the population was estimated at 18.6%, and there was no significant difference between sexes in growth (t-test, P > 0.05). As the crabs grew from 7.3 to 33.8 mm in mean carapace length, seven molts were observed for the population. The intermolt period ranged from seven to 22 days and lengthened with increased size. Sex ratio at each sampling time did not differ significantly from 1:1 (Chi-square test, P > 0.05). Female crabs presumably required about eleven postlarval molts to reach sexually mature size, which was 34.1 +/- 3.9 (SD) mm. in carapace length in this study.

Studies on the biology of Chaoborus flavicans (Meigen) (Diptera : Chaoboridae) in a fish-free eutrophic pond, Japan

Population dynamics of Chaoborus flavicans larvae of various instars was studied from November 1986 to December 1987 in a eutrophic, fish-free pond, Japan. First and 2nd instar larvae were observed from late April to late October, indicating a reproductive period of about half a year. C. flavicans overwintered in the 4th instar larvae. In water column samples, total density of all instars was 680-23 680 m(-2), and pupal density 0-2 600 m(-2); larvae of the Ist, 2nd, and 3rd instars showed 5-6 density peaks in 1987, suggesting that 5-6 generations occur during a year (peaks of the 4th instar larvae were not clear, probably due to their longer development than those of younger instars). In sediment samples, no Ist and 2nd instar larvae were found, 3rd instar larvae were found occasionally but density of the 4th instar larvae was 280-18 600 m(-2), and pupal density varied between 0-502 m(-2). Fouth instar larvae accumulated in sediment in the cold season and in the water column in the warm season; high temperature and low oxygen concentration were the most important factors limiting the distribution of larvae in the sediment in summer in the NIES pond. The dry weight of total C. flavicans larvae was 0.08-4.2 g m(-2) in sediment samples and 24-599 mu g l(-1) (0.10-2.40 g m(-2)) in water column samples. Comparisons of maximum densities in the NIES pond in different years and in waters of different trophic status show that density is generally higher in eutrophic than in oligotrophic habitats.

Changes in the structure of a zooplankton community during a Ceratium (dinoflagellate) bloom in a eutrophic fishless pond

The community structure of zooplankton was studied in a eutrophic, fishless Japanese pond. The ecosystem was dominated by a dinoflagellate, Ceratium hirundinella, two filter-feeding cladocerans, Daphnia rosea and Ceriodaphnia reticulata, and an invertebrate predator, the dipteran Chaoborus flavicans. The midsummer zooplankton community showed a large change in species composition (the Daphnia population crashed) when a heavy Ceratium bloom occurred. It is shown that (i) the rapid density decline of D.rosea in mid-May was mainly caused by a shortage of edible phytoplankton, which was facilitated by the rapid increase in C.hirundinella abundance; (ii) the low density of D.rosea in June-July was considered to be mainly caused by the blooming of Ceratium hirundinella (which may inhibit the feeding process of D.rosea), while predation by C.flavicans larvae, the changing temperature, the interspecific competition and the scarcity of edible algae were not judged to be important; (iii) the high summer biomass of the planktonic C.flavicans larvae was maintained by the bloom of C.hirundinella, because >90% of the crop contents of C.flavicans larvae were C.hirundinella during this period. The present study indicates that the large-sized cells or colonies of phytoplankton are not only inedible by most cladocerans, but the selective effect of the blooming of these algae can also influence the composition and dominance of the zooplankton community, especially for the filter-feeding Cladocera, in a similar way as the selective predation by planktivorous fish. The large-sized phytoplankton can also be an important alternative food for ominivorous invertebrate predators such as Chaoborus larvae, and thus may affect the interactions between these predators and their zooplanktonic prey. In this way, such phytoplankton may play a very important role in regulating the dynamics of the aquatic food web, and become a driving force in shaping the community structure of zooplankton.

KINETICS OF SIZE-FRACTIONATED AND DISSOLVED ALKALINE-PHOSPHATASE IN A FARM POND

Nutrient addition bioassays were conducted in 10 L carboys with water from a eutrophic farm pond. The four bioassay treatments each conducted in triplicate were control (no nutrients added), +N (160 mu mol L(-1) NH4Cl), +P (10 mu mol L(-1) KH2PO4), and N+P (160 mu mol L(-1) NH4Cl and 10 mu mol L(-1) KH2PO4). The size fractionated (0.2-0.8, 0.8-3, > 3 mu m) contents of the carboys were analyzed after 7 d for alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) and chlorophyll-a content. Chlorophyll data suggested P deficiency in ammonium and control mesocosms and no P deficiency with phosphate additions. Pond water also was collected in June, August, October, and March for measurement of APA. In water from the pond, the greatest V-max of APA usually was associated with microorganisms in the size classes between 0.8-3 mu m. In mesocosm experiments, the N+P treatment increased V-max of dissolved and particulate associated APA in the 0.2-0.8 mu m size range and in dissolved form. The V-max of APA in the largest size-fraction (> 3 mu m) increased markedly with P deficiency (+N treatment) and decreased in the P-enrichment treatment. The patterns of APA and chlorophyll associated with different size fractions often varied independently among different treatments and seasons and not always as a function of P deficiency, indicating the difficulty of attempting to normalize APA to phytoplankton biomass or chlorophyll. The Michaelis half saturation constant of APA in the pond water showed no strong trends with varied seasons or size fraction.

STUDIES ON THE PURIFICATION AND RECLAMATION OF WASTE-WATER FROM A MEDIUM-SIZED CITY BY AN INTEGRATED BIOLOGICAL POND SYSTEM

The feasibility of an inexpensive wastewater treatment system is evaluated in this study. An integrated biological pond system was operated for more than 3 years to purify the wastewater from a medium-sized city, Central China. The experiment was conducted in 3 phases with different treatment combinations for testing their purification efficiencies. The pond system was divided into 3 functional regions: influent purification, effluent upgrading and multi-utilization. These regions were further divided into several zones and subzones. Various kinds of aquatic organisms, including macrophytes, algae, microorganisms and zooplankton, were effectively cooperating in the wastewater treatment in this system. The system attained high reductions of BOD5, COD, TSS, TN, TP and other pollutants. The purification efficiencies of this system were higher than those of most traditional oxidation ponds or ordinary macrophyte ponds. The mutagenic effect and numbers of bacteria and viruses declined significantly during the process of purification. After the wastewater flowed through the upgrading zone, the concentrations of pollutants and algae evidently decreased. Plant harvesting did not yield dramatic effects on reductions of the main pollutants, though it did significantly affect the biomass productivity of the macrophytes. The effluent from this system could be utilized in irrigation and aquaculture. Some aquatic products were harvested from this system and some biomass was utilized for food, fertilizer, fodder and some other uses. The wastewater was reclaimed for various purposes.

Production of astaxanthin from Haematococcus in open pond by two-stage growth one-step process

We have developed a two-stage growth one-step process for cultivation of Haematococcus using a self-designed system that mimics an open pond in the natural environment. The characteristics of this process are green vegetative cell growth and cysts transformation and pigment accumulation that proceed spontaneously and successively in one open photobioreactor. Four strains of Haematococcus (H. pluvialis 26; H. pluvialis 30; H. pluvialis 34; H. pluvialis WZ) were cultured in this imitation system for a duration of 12 days. The changes in cell density and medium pH were closely monitored, and the astaxanthin content and yield of the four Haematococcus strains were measured at the end of 12 days of cultivation. Two of the strains, H. pluvialis 26 and H. pluvialis WZ, were selected as strains suitable for mass culture, resulting in the astaxanthin yield of 51.06 and 40.25 mg L-1 which are equivalent to 2.79 and 2.50% of their dry biomass respectively. Based on the laboratory work, 6 batch cultures of H. pluvialis WZ were conducted successfully to produce astaxanthin in two 100 m(2) open race-way pond by two-stage growth one-step process. The astaxanthin content ranged from 1.61 to 2.48 g 100 g(-1) dry wt., with average astaxanthin content of 2.10 g 100 g(-1) dry wt. Compared with the one-stage production of astaxanthin based on continuous culture, the superiority of our process is that it can accumulate much more astaxanthin in red cysts. Compared with two-stage production of astaxanthin, the advantage of our process is that it does not need to divide the production process into two parts using two bioreactors. The presented work demonstrates the feasibility for producing astaxanthin from Haematococcus using a two-stage growth one-step process in open pond, culture systems that have been successfully used for Spirulina and Chlorella mass culture. The future of Haematococcus astaxanthin production has been also discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SOME ASPECTS OF THE GROWTH OF GRACILARIA-TENUISITIPITATA IN POND CULTURE

The effect of temperature, salinity, nitrogen, culture density and depth on the growth of Gracilaria tenuistipitata were investigated between April 1985 and March 1986 in outdoor ponds in Guangxi Province, South China. The mean annual growth rate was 2.4% per day. Under favourable temperatures of 20-30-degrees-C, daily growth rate may reach as high as 3.3%. Salinity had an obvious effect on growth and photosynthesis and growth peaked at 21 parts per thousand, with a broad plateau between 7-27 parts per thousand. Growth experiments showed that a total nitrogen (NH4-N plus NO3-N) concentration of 4 muM was sufficient to enable the plants to maintain a daily growth rate of 2.7%. The best growth of the plant was obtained at a culture density of 0.5-1 kg M-2 and a culture depth of 30 cm in the pond.