AQUACULTURE EXTENSION FIELD TRIAL EXPERIENCES

Aquaculture extension field trials are challenging, require much labor, time and money to conduct depending on the complexity and duration.  Three extension projects conducted in West Alabama by Alabama Cooperative Extension System - Aquaculture specialists and Auburn University researchers are covered.  The three extension projects are: 1) a catfish yield verification project; 2) an in-pond raceway and intensively aerated pond project; and 3) a virulent Aeromonas hydrophila field trials experiment.

The goal of the catfish yield verification project was to obtain detailed on-farm production data over three crops in three ponds for three farmers.  Data was analyzed to obtain base catfish production data and representative enterprise budgets to better "know" the industry norms and problems. It was funded by a SRAC grant. The three producers agreed to follow some base management procedures but were left to their own decisions that we followed over time.  Detailed production data was diligently collected over a four-year period by three researchers.  Numerous presentations, several publications and a Master's thesis resulted from this project.  This was a successful project providing much knowledge and gave producers a better understanding of their production and economic outcomes.  We learned it was very time consuming and expensive to obtain such good data and we continue to analyze this data.

The goal of the in-pond raceway project was to develop a more controllable production system capable of addressing many of the production problem areas plaguing open pond catfish production in the U.S.  It was funded by a number of grants, primarily by USB and Catfish Farmers through a voluntary feed check-off fund. Attempts to generate interest about this new system in West Alabama were difficult due to less than desired research results beforehand.  Therefore, research continues on this system in more controlled conditions.  In on-farm and at experiment station sites this system routinely generates an FCR of 1.4 to 1.7.  In our last experiment, 11,000 to 14,000 pounds of fish were produced in an IPRS located in a one-acre pond.  We learned it is difficult to introduce a new concept with different management requirements to farmers who are very busy already. Hopefully, a few farmers will want to pursue this production method because of how it readily resolves many of their production problems.

The goal of the virulent Aeromonas hydrophila (vAh) project is to address this disease that is killing millions of pounds of catfish each year in West Alabama.  It is being funded by a variety of sources, primarily USDA, Catfish Farmers, AL Department of Agriculture and Industries, and the AL Innovation Fund. A farmer collaborator in West Alabama has allowed us to put three in-pond raceway units into three of his ponds to conduct trials of experimental vaccines, probiotics, hybrids, and phytase treatments to see if they would reduce vAh mortalities compared to control channel catfish treatments.  After two years, one vaccine and a probiotic seem to work well but delivery problems are an obstacle.  Additionally, regulatory hurdles have been and will have to be met to bring these successful treatments to fruition.