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Please note, for information on current projects you will find the most recent data summarized in recent presentations as well as in the practical information area.

Soy in Aquaculture Research Program: Optimizing Shrimp Feeds. ASA/USB

This program is designed to identify restrictions to the use of high levels of soybean meal in commercial shrimp feeds and demonstrate their use in commercial shrimp feeds under practical pond conditions. The program is vertically integrated with research being conducted in the laboratory under controlled conditions, in out door tanks in the presence of primary production and in 0.1 ha research ponds managed under semi-intensive conditions. In addition to the research and development phase of the project there is a technology transfer and demonstration program that is intended to facilitate the transfer of information to the feed mill and farmers.

Improving reproductive efficiency to produce channel x blue hybrid catfish fry. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, USAD/CSREES

Catfish farming needs to be more productive, efficient, competitive, sustainable and profitable. A slow economy and imports of foreign catfish are among threats to profitability of US catfish farming. Given the trade deficit for edible fish products in the US reached an all time high of $10.7 billion in 2000, domestic production of fish is critical to reduce trade deficits and maintain food security. Inefficiencies of production need to be alleviated. High mortalities can occur during the fry production phase, and diseases and stress from poor water quality are severe problems during all culture phases. Harvesting inefficiencies lead to oversized fish remaining in ponds, which further aggravates disease losses, slows growth rates and reduces feed conversion as well as resulting in price deductions from processors. Increased carcass yield would benefit processors and the industry. Application of the hybrid channel catfish female x blue catfish male could dramatically alleviate these problems making catfish farming more competitive, sustainable and profitable. However, today only a few farmers utilize the hybrid because fingerlings are not available and because of the difficulty in making hybrid eggs and fry. Artificial hand stripping and fertilization technologies have been developed that allow small-scale production of the channel-blue hybrid. This technology and reproductive efficiency needs to be improved to optimize hybrid fry production and allow large-scale adoption of the hybrid. My component of this multi-disciplinary procect is to improve hybrid embryo production by determining the best nutritional regime to maximize fecundity and hatch rate from induced channel catfish females and blue catfish males.

Technologies for culture of marine shrimp in inland low-salinity waters from west Alabama and South East USA.

A large portion of Alabama is underlain with low salinity artesian water that is not suitable for traditional agriculture but is currently being used to raise catfish. The development of an inland shrimp industry would diversify agricultural production and supplement the depressed catfish industry. There are several farms in West Alabama that have grown marine shrimp in inland well water. However, economic expansion is being impeded by novel problems not encountered by shrimp farmers using coastal marine waters. These problems can be resolved through manipulations of water ion profiles and nutrition. Using state of the art research techniques we will collect data pertaining to shrimp acclimation, behaviour and stress in inland well waters and the effects of environmental ionic concentrations on survival and growth. Moreover, we intend to evaluate effects of dietary proteins, lipids and carbohydrates on osmoregulation, survival and growth. The present proposal is geared to generate preliminary data required to support applications for extramural funding and to assist the industry at this critical period of development. Results will directly benefit farmers in West Alabama and will assist them develop a multimillion dollar industry.

Improved feed technologies for the culture of marine shrimp in inland, low salinity culture environments. Alabama Black Belt Initiative.

Shrimp culture has considerable potential in west Alabama, but if it is to maintain long-term viability we must minimize production costs through the use of advanced feed management technologies. Because feed quality and feed management practices profoundly influence survival and weight gain, they significantly influence the economic return. Despite the importance of feed management, there has been limited scientific studies concerning the influence of nutrition and feed management on the production of marine shrimp under pond production conditions and even fewer under low salinity culture conditions as found in Alabama. Since the initial trials to rear shrimp in West Alabama, we have been able to improve survival from lows of 30% up to those typically found in the industry (65-70%). The increased survivals came from the identification and addition of limiting ions to the low-salinity water. Although, this has reduced on-farm costs considerably, there is still room for improvement. Based on previous research, there is clearly potential to reduce production costs further by optimizing feeding strategies and reducing feed costs. Hence, this proposed research will be geared towards both the reduction of feed costs and the optimization of feeding strategies to reduce feed utilization. Improved techniques should produce considerable cost saving to our farmers.