What to do when fish farming profits are low? Polyculture of fish and soft-shelled turtles helps you increase returns

Benefit analysis of fish-turtle polyculture

In ponds with imitation-ecological turtle farming, the pond turtles have a good growing environment, the water quality is pollution-free, and they are fed processed grass carp, common carp and other fish, which are nutritious and highly palatable. One month after young turtles are put into the pond, they feed well, and their body color gradually becomes similar to that of wild turtles. Turtles farmed this way taste pure, sweet and delicious, close to wild turtles. In imitation-ecological turtle farming in ponds, fish-turtle polyculture does not affect fish farming, requires no high investment, and delivers high returns. In the promotion and application of existing pond fish farming, it has higher promotional value.

Fish-turtle polyculture not only improves the economic benefits of pond fish farming and makes up for the shortcomings of greenhouse turtle farming, such as many diseases and poor taste, but also gives turtles a growing environment close to the natural environment, so their quality is higher than that of greenhouse-farmed turtles. Fish-turtle polyculture can also increase the farming output per unit of water body, opening a new path for increasing economic benefits.

Successful case:

Xiaoshan Cooperative“fish-turtle polyculture” is good for making money

“”Two years ago, 250 soft-shelled turtles were stocked, each 7 liang and 24 yuan per jin. A batch was sold around this year's Spring Festival. Each had grown to two and a half jin and sold for more than 40 yuan per jin. From soft-shelled turtles alone, more than 3,000 yuan was earned”. Speaking of the benefits brought by fish-turtle polyculture, Chen Qihong, a member of the Xiaoshan Aquaculture Professional Cooperative in Zhongxiang City, was grinning from ear to ear.

In recent years, the Xiaoshan Aquaculture Professional Cooperative has demonstrated and guided members in adjusting the farming structure of intensive fish ponds and adopting a fish-turtle polyculture model, farming the “four major Chinese carps” together with soft-shelled turtles in intensive fish ponds, achieving three-dimensional development of the water surface, comprehensive utilization of resources, and effective disease control, which has promoted increased efficiency in fisheries and increased income for farmers.

Cooperative chairman Liu Deqing used the stocking density of his own fish pond as an example to calculate an account: without affecting conventional fish farming, stocking 25 soft-shelled turtle seedlings per mu, with an average weight of 1.7 jin each at 26 yuan per jin, after two or three years each averaging about 3 jin and selling at 50 yuan per jin, after deducting farming costs (mainly escape-prevention facilities and low-priced pond-cleared fish as feed), each mu increases net income by about 2,000 yuan. According to him, many cooperative members have mastered fish-turtle polyculture technology and have seen its benefits, and they are highly motivated to promote the fish-turtle polyculture model. At present, the whole cooperative has developed more than 1,200 mu of fish-turtle polyculture area, and it is expected that two years later the whole cooperative will increase farming income by more than 2.4 million yuan, with an average of more than 16,000 yuan per household.

Fish-turtle polyculture farming experience

In May 2013, Suiyang County, Guizhou Province, under the guidance of the Guizhou Provincial Fisheries Research Institute, introduced 3,000 young soft-shelled turtles from Hunan and distributed them to two farming households, Huang Yaoming and Lu Bangyong, for rearing. Now, taking Huang Yaoming's farming production as an example, the summary is introduced as follows

1.1 Farming survival rate

The young soft-shelled turtles introduced on May 10, 2013, after 6 months of rearing, had a farming survival rate of more than 80%.

1.2 Turtle output and output value

After 6 months of rearing, they reached commercial specifications. On December 20, 2013, 100 soft-shelled turtles were caught and weighed, with an average individual weight of 580 grams per turtle. According to the usual production diary records, the estimated number of turtle deaths was 360, with 1,140 surviving, an output of 661.2 kilograms, and an output value of 132,240 yuan (calculated at 200 yuan/kg), with an output value of 44,080 yuan per mu. The introduced young soft-shelled turtles weighed 350 kilograms (calculated at 160 grams per turtle), costing 28,000 yuan (calculated at 80 yuan/kg); 5,040 kilograms of feed fish were purchased, costing 40,320 yuan; pond renovation and other expenses were 15,000 yuan, for a total cost of 83,320 yuan. After deducting costs, the total newly increased income was 48,920 yuan, and the newly increased income per mu was 16,300 yuan.

1.3 Fish output and output value

In early April, before the young soft-shelled turtles were stocked, 1,200 crucian carp fry and 300 silver carp were stocked. Starting from December 2, 2013, 500 kilograms were caught and weighed, with an average price of about 20 yuan per kilogram, for a total output value of 10,000 yuan, and an output value of 3,333 yuan per mu. After deducting costs of 4,000 yuan, the total newly increased amount was about 6,000 yuan.

1.4 Vegetables

1,000 kilograms of water spinach were harvested, with an output value of 4,000 yuan and a newly increased amount of 3,000 yuan.

2. Ecological farming technology for pond turtle-fish polyculture

2.1 Pond selection and renovation

It was renovated from an earthen pond used for farming market-size fish. The pond area is 3 mu, with a water depth of 1.5 m. At the bottom of the pond, on the sunny side near the pond embankment, a 20-25 cm yellow sand bed was laid, with an area of 100 square meters. Escape-prevention facilities made of asbestos tiles were set up around the pond. The setup method is: first, drive 1 wooden stake about 2 m high every 1.0 m or so in the pond 50 cm from the pond edge (30 cm above the water surface), connect the wooden stakes with iron wire and fix them around the pond, place the asbestos tiles tightly against the wooden stakes and iron wire, and bury them 10 cm into the pond embankment soil, tilting toward the pond at an angle of about 60 degrees to the pond water surface, with the asbestos tiles 20-50 cm above the water surface, and no gaps may be left between the asbestos tiles. To facilitate feeding, a basking floating platform was set up in the sunny part of the pond, which also serves as a feeding platform. The feeding platform is made of asbestos tiles, supported by cement bricks as piers so that the asbestos tiles emerge from the water as a slope of about 30°, with an area of 100 square meters, one third of which is in the water.

2.2 Vegetable planting

Before the seedlings were stocked, bamboo was made into rectangular bamboo frames, 5-8 m long and 1.2 m wide. The method of planting water spinach is: first use water spinach seedlings (generally 10 cm long) and plant them in plastic pipes 2 cm long and 2 cm in diameter that were tied to the bamboo frames in advance, with the plastic pipes spaced 20 cm apart. Unlike traditional soil vegetable growing, aquatic vegetables take root in the water and can absorb and convert harmful substances such as nitrogen and phosphorus in the water body into nutrients, so no fertilizer is needed, and no separate management is required after planting.

2.3 Water source and water quality conditions

By drawing water from the Hou River, the water source is sufficient, the water quality is fresh, water intake and drainage are convenient, the pH value is about 7, and there is no pollution.

2.4 Seedling stocking

This farming method uses an imitation-ecological farming model to polyculture young soft-shelled turtles and fish, mainly farming soft-shelled turtles.

2.4.1 Stocking of soft-shelled turtle seed

Young soft-shelled turtles with an individual weight of 100-200 grams per turtle were selected. After disinfecting the turtle bodies with potassium permanganate solution, the turtles were gently placed on the basking platform and allowed to run into the pond. Stocking was at 500 young soft-shelled turtles per mu, for a total of 1,500, for ecological rearing. In our area, the stocking time for soft-shelled turtle seed is April to May, and generally after 6 months of farming the individuals reach 0.5-0.8 kilograms and can be caught and sold.

2.4.2 Stocking of fish seed

In early April, before the young soft-shelled turtles were stocked, 1,200 crucian carp fry were stocked, with a specification of 500 per kilogram, that is, 400 per mu, with a survival rate of 90%; 300 silver carp were stocked, with a specification of 100-400 grams per fish, that is, 100 per mu, with a survival rate of 90%. A feeding machine was used to feed the feed 3 times a day.

2.5 Feeding management

2.5.1 Pond disinfection

Half a month before the fish and soft-shelled turtles were stocked, disinfection of the drained pond was carried out, applying 30 kilograms of quicklime per mu over the whole pond, after which the fish and soft-shelled turtles were released.

2.5.2 Feeding management of soft-shelled turtles

The feed for soft-shelled turtles is mainly grass carp, common carp and other fish purchased from the Zunyi City aquatic products market that were injured or died from hypoxia. The feed fish are processed and placed on the feeding platform, and feeding is done 2 times a day, once from 6:00 to 7:00 in the morning and once from 5:30 to 6:30 in the afternoon, with each feeding amount of about 15 kilograms. In short, the daily amount should be based on what can be eaten up, and the feed fed must be fresh. From June to September, an appropriate amount of quicklime water was applied each month to the feeding site and basking site for regular disinfection. After 6 months of farming, that is, by November, they can be caught and marketed successively.