Optimum low salinity to reduce cannibalism and improve survival of the larvae of freshwater African catfish Clarias gariepinus
Abstract
The freshwater African catfish Clarias gariepinus is carnivorous and cannibalistic even during the larval and juvenile stages and this behavior causes economic losses in aquaculture. This study examined for the first time the effect of salinity on cannibalism, survival, and growth of African catfish larvae in the hatchery. Larvae (4 days old, median 7.8 mm TL, 2.8 mg BW) of the African catfish were reared for 21 days at nominal salinity 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 ppt. After 21 days, they grew to 10–39 mm (median 22 mm) and 10–490 mg (median 90 mg), with no significant difference by salinity treatments. Survival ratios were similarly low (24–31%) at 0, 1, 3, and 7 ppt and significantly higher (49–55%) at 2, 4, 5, and 6 ppt. Cannibalism was significantly lower, 15–30% at 4–6 ppt, than the 40–50% at 0–3 and 7 ppt. Size variation was lower at 4–6 ppt and higher at 0–3 and 7 ppt. We recommend hatchery rearing of African catfish at the optimum low salinity of 4–6 ppt rather than in full fresh water at least up to 21 days. This rearing method fosters larval welfare and improves hatchery production.
Citation
Kawamura, G., Bagarinao, T., Yong, A. S. K., Sao, P. W., Lim, L. S., & Senoo, S. (2017). Optimum low salinity to reduce cannibalism and improve survival of the larvae of freshwater African catfish Clarias gariepinus.Publisher
Springer VerlagSubject
Collections
- Journal Articles [1049]
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Article
Survival and settlement rates of Haliotis asinina larvae at different salinity levels
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Article
Growth response of Nile tilapia fry to salinity stress in the presence of an ‘internal reference’ fish
-Aquaculture Research , 2005 - Blackwell PublishingGrowth of three strains of Oreochromis niloticus L. fry exposed to salinity stress in the presence of an internal reference fish were compared. The Central Luzon State University (CLSU) strain was obtained from the Freshwater Aquaculture Center, CLSU, Philippines. The ISRAEL strain was acquired from the Philippine government's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center (BFAR-NFFTC), Munoz, Nueva Ecija. The National Inland Fisheries Institute (NIFI) strain was obtained from the NIFI, Bangkok, Thailand. Eight to nine full-sib families (replicates) per strain were split into two groups. One group was grown in freshwater for 2 weeks, acclimated to 32 ppt and reared for 2 weeks and finally grown in freshwater for another 2 weeks. Another group was contemporaneously grown in freshwater polyethylene tanks for 6 weeks. Each replicate family included a size-matched internal reference population of red tilapia strain. Two-way analysis of variance (anova) revealed no significant strain differences (P=0.081; r2=0.106). However, analysis of covariance with the internal reference strain used as a covariate showed significant (P=0.049; r2=0.638) strain effects on specific growth (based on standard length measurements). The ISRAEL strain showed consistently better growth rate in both saline and freshwater environments than the NIFI and CLSU strains. We estimated the statistical power of the two-way anova (ϕ=√(k′−1)(factor MS−s2)/(k′s>2); Zar 1984) to be ∼0.30. There was a 70% probability of a Type II error and no true difference in the growth of the three strains was detected. The use of internal reference strain as a covariate improved the r2 from 0.106 to 0.638 and increased the efficiency of the test in detecting a true difference. Other strain comparison studies in our laboratory at the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department showed that the ISRAEL strain shows better growth than the NIFI and CLSU strains in a crowding stress tolerance experiment, when fed only with rice bran and under restrictive feeding regimes. -
Conference paper
Preliminary notes on the salinity preference of milkfish, Chanos chanos, fry
- In Proceedings of the International Milkfish Workshop Conference, May 19-22, 1976, Tigbauan, Iloilo, Philippines, 1976 - Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development CenterVertical salinity gradient columns were used to investigate the salinity preference of milkfish fry. Newly captured fry showed a preference for 32‰ salinity. Fry which had been in captivity for one to five days, at 12 or 22‰ salinity, had no salinity preference between waters of 12, 22 or 32‰ salinity.
