BUSINESS VALUE OF  ASIAN-SEABASS (Lates calcarifer, Bloch.) REARING IN  ESTUARINE POND WITH  WITH DIFFERENT INITIAL SIZE FISH STOCKED

Budi Kurnia*, Hary Wuwungan, Dzikri Wahyudi and Marjoko
 
Karawang Aquaculture Business Development Center
Pusakajaya Utara, Cilebar, Karawang, Jawa Barat, Indonesia 41353
bluppbkarawang@yahoo.com
 

The aquaculture activities in the estuarine pond  is mostly done with the shrimp and milkfish species as well as  intensive, semi intensive and extensive culture patterns. The culture of other species as an alternative  commodities to increase the economic value of ponds has been carried out at the Aquaculture Central Business,f Karawang  through the cultivation of marine species such as Asian Seabass or Barramundi. One of the culture aspect that determines the success of Asian-Seabass rearing in estuarine pond is the initial size of the fish stocked. Two initial size of the fish were 10-12 cm of TL/fish (big size) and 6-8 cm of TL/ fish (small size) had stocked in each 2 ( two) 5,000 m3 of the estaurine ponds. Each ponds had equal fish density, feeds and feed management and culture methods.  The culture results of  seven months culture periods showed that the fish survival rate of big size initial stocked (64.66%) is better than the smaller size  (59.56%).  The end product of the big size initial stocked also had less size variation (< 5 variations in size) than a small size (>5 variations in size). While the economic value (B / C ratio) of big size initial stocked (1.28) better than small size (1.20).  Results showed that the Asian Sebass culture activity in estuarine ponds with bigger initial size of stocking  had a better both biology and economic value  than a smaller size.