No abstract

Aquaculturists have often suffered predation losses in the production of freshwater giant river prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii due to the presence of wild fish species in culture ponds. The piscicide rotenone is widely used to remove undesirable fish species from ponds. Although evidence in the technical literature suggests that crustaceans generally have a higher tolerance to rotenone than fish, there are currently no data on the acute or chronic toxicity of rotenone to juvenile freshwater prawns. In this study, two static acute‐toxicity bioassays (96 h) were conducted using Prentox Prenfish (5% active ingredient) rotenone to determine the median lethal concentration (LC50) for juvenile freshwater prawns (average weight = 0.55 g, SD = 0.25; length = 41.43 mm, SD = 6.45). In bioassay 1, prawns were exposed to rotenone concentrations of 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mg/L. In bioassay 2, prawns were exposed to rotenone concentrations of 2.2, 3.6, 6.0, 10.0, and 16.7 mg/L. All rotenone concentrations used in the study were based on the total product of the commercial rotenone formulation. The LC50 calculated in bioassay 1 was 6.2 mg/L, and the LC50 calculated in bioassay 2 was 7.5 mg/L. Freshwater prawns were able to tolerate 3.0 to 3.6 mg/L of rotenone with no mortality or apparent adverse effects during the study. Prawns held at the end of each bioassay for 5 d showed no signs of delayed effects from rotenone exposure. Data from this study indicate that juvenile prawns should be able to tolerate the concentrations of rotenone required to eradicate certain problematic wild fish species.Received April 29, 2010; accepted October 1, 2010

Bait shops in Kentucky and surrounding states rely primarily on large-scale suppliers for baitfish. However, these suppliers provide specific species and sizes of fish. This creates a potential market where small-scale producers could supply bait shops with uncommon species and size combinations of baitfish. This study describes baitfish and bait crayfish marketing parameters in Kentucky by reporting results of a survey that elicited marketing information from local baitfish dealers. The results showed 94% of the respondents were interested in purchasing baitfish from local producers. The types of baitfish wanted by these bait dealers from local suppliers included rosy red minnows (Pimephales promelas), catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), and large golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas). The survey provided evidence of significant niche marketing opportunities in baitfish in states such as Kentucky, where baitfish production is not a major industry.