Growth, Yield and Profitability of Major Carps Culture in Coastal Homestead Ponds Stocked with Wild and Hatchery Fish Seed

Abstract

Major carps, native freshwater fish in South Asian nations, are economically valuable fish species with high market demand. Coastal rural people can cultivate them in their own seasonal, largely underutilized, small homestead ponds with low input and understanding. However, the major problems with fish production in this region are the lack of quality carp seed and appropriate culture techniques. Therefore, this research was carried out on growth performance, survival rate, yield, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and profit of carp polyculture systems stocking with hatchery-produced and wild sourced fish seed in homestead ponds located in a coastal area along the Bay of Bengal. Three different treatments (T1–T3), each treatment with three replications, were designed for culturing carps, Gibelion catla, Labeo rohita, Labeo calbasu, and Cirrhinus mrigala using two local hatcheries seeds (T1 and T2), and wild seeds from the Halda River (T3). For all treatments, the stocked fish were maintained in the same size, weight, density, and ratio. Water quality parameters were measured at intervals of seven days, and the mean values were found to be within an acceptable range for fish farming and, in most cases, did not differ significantly from each other. The specific growth rate (SGR) was found higher in T3 for G. catla (1.16 ± 0.012%/day), L. rohita (1.19 ± 0.035%/day), and C. mrigala (1.06 ± 0.03%/day) and significantly differed (p < 0.05) among the treatments. Additionally, there were significant differences between the treatments in terms of ultimate weight, weight gain, survival rate, fish production, and return on investment (ROI) (p < 0.05). The lower FCR in T3 (2.65 ± 0.10) than in T1 (3.32 ± 0.31) and T2 (3.21 ± 0.33) indicated that stocking wild seed had higher profitability potentials. High genetic variety in the population of naturally occurring, free-living fish, resistance to disease, a high rate of survival, and the hardiness of wild seed are all factors that might contribute to the better performance of wild seed stock. However, the total yield and total return from the T3 treatment also emphasized that carp farming using wild seed is not viable because of the variable amount, high seed cost, low transportation facilities, and very small natural seed-stock supplies from the river. Inbreeding and reduced genetic variety in the hatchery stock could result in the production of poor-quality seed, which had an impact on the production performance in culture treatments stocked with hatchery seed.

Present status of brood stock management and breeding operations at Carp Hatcheries in Jashore, Bangladesh

“…The primary objectives of the proprietors of hatcheries in the Chanchra area are to supply the fish farmers in the area with high-quality fish fry in order to meet their demands, generate job opportunities, and enhance the local economy. Despite the high production from fish hatcheries, there is a lingering challenge in the availability of high-quality fish seed and their supply (Hossain et al, 2022;Little et al, 2002). Regarding these points, current study was performed to find out how hatcheries in Jashore district of Bangladesh are currently con-ducting breeding operations at carp hatcheries and managing their brood stock.…”

Assessment of the Hydrological Conditions of Carps Spawning Grounds in the Sylhet Haor Basins, and the Halda River System, Bangladesh

“…The major specialty of the Halda River is serving as a natural source of fertilized Indian major carp eggs [3,4]. For a long time, this area has provided the nation with organically generated carp fry [5,6]. In contrast, the Surma River supports a wide variety of fish species that are essential to the livelihood of the local fishing communities and other populations in this region [7,8].…”

Impact of duck stocking density on growth performance, digestive enzymes, blood biochemistry, and antioxidant capacity of the Labeo rohita reared in an integrated ponds system

“…L. rohita, is one of the major species that have been widely subjected to pond culturing in developing countries such as Pakistan because of good meat quality and higher consumer preference [17]. Rohu is typically subjected to higher stocking due to the larger feeding niche that extends from column to bottom [18]. Keeping all in view, the current study aimed to evaluate the influence of SD on growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, blood biochemistry, meat quality, and antioxidant capacity of the L. rohita reared in an integrated pond system.…”