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