Copyright ©2008 Conservation Commission of Missouri. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
The Missouri Department of Conservation receives many requests for information concerning fish farming. Due to the large number of publications on the different kinds of fish cultural programs, we do not keep supplies of them on hand. You may however, write for the ones of your choice.
Most published information on warm-water fish culture has been written about channel catfish production. Since many aspects of channel catfish culture apply to other fish, the following comments should serve a broad spectrum of interest.
Fish culture cannot be expressed in terms of the simple formula of “fish + water = instant money”. There are several critical aspects that must be considered by the potential fish farmer; these include legal, technical, financial, economic, and managerial considerations.
These include licenses or permits required to produce and sell fish as well as knowledge of restrictions on exotic fish species and disease inspection certification. Regulations vary among states. In Missouri, commercial fish farming operations are not licensed by the Department of Conservation. So long as stocks are secured from legal sources, including other fish farmers or commercial fishermen, and a bill of sale is retained as proof of purchase, individuals may buy, sell, transport, propagate and possess fish, crayfish, salamanders, and snapping turtles without a permit. Commercial fishermen, however, operating in the Missouri, Mississippi and St. Francis Rivers are required to obtain permits from the Department of Conservation.
In Missouri, live fish or fish eggs of the family Salmonidae (trouts, char, salmon) may be imported only by the holder of a Fish Importation Permit. Such a permit will be issued only if the source of fish or fish eggs is certified disease free by a federal or state biologist or commercial laboratory recognized as competent by the Missouri Department of Conservation. For additional information consult the Wildlife Code of Missouri.
There are also legal considerations in connection with constructing water impoundments, water rights, and the release of used water. These also vary according to state and local regulations.
One of the major technical considerations in whether or not to attempt fish production is suitability of sites for ponds or other producing units, such as raceways. Up to 10,000 pounds of channel catfish per acre have been produced with artificial feeding. However, for this kind of production, drainable ponds, a good water source, and a thorough knowledge of fish culture are all absolutely essential, Disease or oxygen depletion under such crowded conditions can, and often does, result in complete fish loss in a matter of a few hours or days. Ponds must be constructed only in soils which readily hold water. Water systems should not only provide for getting water to the ponds, but since draining is recommended before restocking, they should also provide for getting it out. The suggested minimum depth for a dependable production pond in Missouri is 6 to 7 feet. Pond bottoms should be well graded and completely cleared to permit seining at harvest.
There are also major technical considerations in feeding and management. The right amount of feed must be supplied to the fish and this varies with temperature, oxygen, size of fish, water sources, and other factors.
Temperature - Catfish grow best between the temperatures of 80° and 85°F. The cooler the water temperature, the less catfish will feed, thereby affecting growth. Springs are not good water supplies for catfish unless the temperature can be increased to the optimum range.
Oxygen - Oxygen is a limiting factor in the growth of catfish. Catfish do not feed well at low oxygen concentration, and low oxygen content restricts carrying capacity of the production pond. The optimum level of oxygen is between 4 and 9 parts per million.
Surface water contains oxygen in varying amounts, depending on various physical factors such as abundance of plant and animal life. Springs and well water usually do not contain adequate oxygen and should be well oxygenated by letting the water fall on a platform or by spraying it into the air. Incoming water in a pond, regardless of point of origin, should be aerated some way., As a minimum treatment, water should be made to fall at least two feet.
Size of Fish - If a food sized fish is desired , producers should stock the largest fingerlings available to assure the fish will reach market size in a single growing season. Purchasers of fingerlings should look for large, well fed fish from hatcheries that have reputations for healthy fish which survive and grow well. The meager savings realized from the purchase of fish in poor condition will be lost several times over if disease outbreaks occur or if growth is slow and inconsistent.
We recommend that fingerlings be fed about a pound of floating feed per acre of ponds, two or three times daily to start them eating. Gradually increase the amount of feed to an amount the fingerlings will clean up in 20 to 30 minutes. Finally, when they have reached this point, increase daily feeding to about 3% of their body weight. Always feed the largest size particle the fish will readily consume.
In harvesting and marketing, a number of technical considerations cannot be overlooked. A significant amount of mechanical equipment may be used in production as well as harvesting. If market outlets are evaluated prior to growing a crop, there should be less difficulty in selling fish. Fingerlings (4 to 9 inches) are generally sold to those who wish to stock a pond, medium-sized fish (23 to 14 inches) to restaurants, and larger fish can be sold to fee fishing areas, etc. Waiting until harvest time before considering market places puts the beginner at a disadvantage and may keep him from getting top prices for his fish.
There are three main sources of water used in fish production; they are reservoirs or ponds, springs and wells.
Water to a catfish farmer is what soil is to the land farmer. Its selection and treatment must be given careful thought and consideration if you expect to grow a profitable crop. An ideal water supply should be capable of furnishing 20-50 GPM per surface acre of water. A minimum of 10-13 GPM per surface acre is required for channel catfish and other warm-water fish. Many aquaculture enterprises operate with marginal water supplies and manage to get by. Under poor water quality conditions, however, a marginal water supply may not avert a fishkill.
In catfish production as in other enterprises, financial resources must be committed. There are two categories of capital required, One category is in investment items such as equipment, dams, and other structures. Some of these are long-life items. These capital costs will normally be recovered over a relatively long period of time. Other capital investment items have relatively short lives and cost should be recovered accordingly.
A second category of capital required is operating capital. This is for such items as feed and labor.
Just as in other enterprises there are risks involved. Risks may arise from natural causes, such as adverse weather conditions, disease producing organisms, economic factors such as price changes, or from human frailties such as forgetfulness or dishonesty. Risks and possible ways of mitigating, overcoming, or shifting them should be evaluated for catfish production and other enterprises considered.
In making production decisions, the net returns for alternative uses of capital resources should be compared to those for catfish production.
Labor is one of the most critical factors of production on most farms. Labor requirements for each acre of catfish production in ponds may be three to five times that of crops such as corn or soybeans under mechanized conditions. However, when one considers gross income per hour of labor, catfish apparently provide higher returns per acre than corn or soybeans.
Economic considerations may be summarized in terms of initial investment requirements, annual costs, gross returns, and net income compared with alternative enterprises, This is looking at catfish production on a cold economic basis. Personal likes and dislikes play a part also. An operator may personally like to raise catfish, and this can be a factor that contributes to the success of the enterprise. The following table shows estimated returns on investment for several pond sizes stocked at a rate of 3,500 fingerlings per acre, Novice fish farmers are advised to start at lower rates (not over 2,000/acre) until some experience is gained.
| Pond Size | Stocking Rate | Production Cost Per 100 Pounds ($) | Net Return Per Acre ($) |
| 1 acre | 3500/acre | 64.4 | 98 |
| 5 acres | 3500/acre | 54.0 | 387 |
| 10 acres | 3500/acre | 53.9 | 388 |
| 20 acres | 3500/acre | 49.8 | 531 |
Managerial considerations may be considered from the standpoint of tying all other considerations together —of overall organization and management. This means successful management of the labor and other resources on a day-to-day basis. It means watching the many little details of the business that can spell the difference between profit or loss.
Fifty-eight catfish producers were asked to state their major problems in one Alabama study (problems in Missouri are similar). They were reported as follows:
Almost one-third of the producers indicated that they would change their ponds if they could rebuild. Changes mentioned were as follows:
For all these reasons, we urge you to consider the matter carefully if you are thinking of going into fish farming.We are not attempting to discourage anyone from this enterprise, but only want to point out some of the difficulties involved in producing a profitable fish crop. If you decide to try it, you may want to attempt a small scale operation first, using only a few ponds.
If you desire to produce only a small crop for sport fishing and for your own table use, we recommend you consider a combination of largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish. Properly stocked and managed, all three species will grow rapidly and produce good fishing. These species should be stocked as fingerlings at the rate of 100 largemouth bass, 500 bluegill, and 100 or 200 channel catfish per surface acre, in water of fair to moderate fertility. In areas of lower fertility, these rates should be reduced by one-half. The catfish may reproduce, but the young rarely escape being eaten by other fish. Therefore, replacement catfish, 8 to 10 inches in length (to avoid bass predation) will be necessary to maintain the population, Stocked alone, catfish usually reproduce successfully, but under these conditions, they may overpopulate resulting in fish that are too small for sport or food.
There are many aspects that are not covered in this article. If you desire further information on fish farming, contact your local conservation agent or the Division of Fisheries, Missouri Department of Conservation, in Jefferson City, Missouri. Valuable information regarding commercial operations in Missouri can be obtained from the Missouri Fish Farmers Association, P.O. Box 90, Columbia, Missouri 65205. Most commercial catfish farming occurs in the southeastern states, and Auburn University has a number of good publications on the subject.
Copyright ©2008 Conservation Commission of Missouri. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use