Aquaculture 2022

February 28 - March 4, 2022

San Diego, California

LARGE SCALE INTENSIVE CULTURE PRODUCTION OF WALLEYE Stizostedion vitreum FINGERLINGS IN A RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEM (RAS)

 

Kevin Kelsey*

 

Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

Ed Weed Fish Culture Station

14 Bell Hill Road

Grand Isle Vermont 05458

kevin.kelsey@vermont.gov



There has been an identified need to develop large scale production methods for the larviculture of walleye (Sander vitreus), R.C. Summerfelt et al (2011). Since 2011, intensive culture of walleye fry/fingerlings has been conducted at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Ed Weed Fish Culture Station in Grand Isle, Vermont. Large scale intensive culture production has been the goal from the facility’s program inception to supplement and enhance existing extensive pond culture efforts of fingerlings conducted by the Lake Champlain Walleye Association (LCWA) used for fisheries restoration on Lake Champlain. Tank volumes of 1,940 liters are currently being used in a RAS system dedicated exclusively for intensive walleye culture. Proof of concept techniques have been applied with successive production years to duplicate identified advances related to feed and feeding rates as well as various rearing environment conditions such as the use of greenwater (algae) for turbidity, applying low light intensity throughout the larval production cycle and the utilization of self-cleaning tanks. Application of these techniques is resulting in high quality fingerlings yielding larviculture survivals from day one post hatch (1 dph) through 34 dph greater than 60 % while achieving 50 mm in length. Analysis of oxytetracycline (OTC) otolith marking of stocked fingerlings is documenting recruitment that is making a significant contribution to the fishery.