Abstract
Channel catfish were reared during 1973 and 1974 in 1.0³ cages suspended in the intake canal of Trinidad Lake, a cooling reservoir for the Texas Power and Light Company's Steam Electric Generating Station at Trinidad, Texas. Experiments were designed to evaluate effects of stocking density, cage position, protein level, feed adjustment interval, and food conversion adjustment on growth of channel catfish reared in cages. Effects of density were tested by stocking cages in replicates of four at densities ranging from 500 to 900 fish in increments of 25. Other experiments were conducted at densities of 500 fish per cage. Hydrological parameters measured at selected sites in the reservoir to determine the effects of caged catfish culture on water quality included temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, alkalinity, hardness, orthophosphate, ammonia nitrogen, and chemical oxygen demand. There was an increase in net production and coefficient of variation in length as stocking density increased. As stocking levels increased, there was a corresponding decrease in feed efficiency, mean fish weight, and percentage of harvestable-size fish. Survival was not affected by number of fish per cage. Stocking densities of 600-650 fish per cage appeared to be the most economical of any density tested. Net production and survival were not different among cages of fish fed 36.0 and 40.0% dietary protein levels. More efficient food conversions and greater mean fish weights were obtained using the higher protein ratio..
Pennington, Carlos H. (1977). Cage culture of channel catfish, Ictalurus puntatus (Rafinesque), in a thermally modified Texas reservoir. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -368419.