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The economic impact of feeding restrictions on US catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque), aqafuaculture operations
Author(s) -
Hatch U,
Hanson T
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
aquaculture research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-2109
pISSN - 1355-557X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2109.1995.tb00959.x
Subject(s) - ictalurus , catfish , stocking , aquaculture , biology , allowance (engineering) , fishery , water quality , production (economics) , ecology , fish <actinopterygii> , operations management , engineering , economics , macroeconomics
Increasing stocking densities in catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque), aquaculture are making maintenance of water quality a crucial element of production strategy. A bioeconomic simulation model for catfish has been adapted to assess alternative feeding restriction management strategies for US catfish aquaculture operations. The current model includes five decision variables: feeding rate, diet quality, stocking weight, stocking date, and length of growing season. The growth model follows a bioenergetics approach, where the balance between energy intake and energy expenditure determines fish growth. The purpose of this analysis was to simulate changes in production practices resulting from water quality restrictions. Model simulations indicate that restricting maximum daily feeding allowance to maintain higher water quality will actually increase feed requirements to reach a harvestable fish size. In addition, as producers increasingly attempt to spread harvests throughout the year, both for their own cash flow needs and the consistent supply requirements of processors, restricting daily feed allowance will make summer harvests particularly difficult.