Yellow Catfish Cage Culture Methods and Technical Points

The yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) is a small-sized freshwater fish with tender flesh, few bones and no scales, a delicious taste and rich nutrition. It is deeply favored by farmers and consumers alike, commands a relatively high market price, is a famous and superior fish with high economic value, and is currently the freshwater culture species with the greatest development potential; in the domestic market it is one of the highest-priced among mid-range fish. Conducting cage culture of yellow catfish in rural lakes, reservoirs, rivers and ditches and other water bodies can effectively utilize water bodies and obtain relatively high economic benefits, and is an effective way for the vast number of farmers to adjust their planting and breeding structure and increase their income. The relevant technical measures are introduced as follows:

I. Culture Conditions

Cage culture of yellow catfish must meet the following conditions:

1. Carefully make the cages

The cages are made of polyethylene. The mesh of the netting is generally required to be 2.0 cm to 3.0 cm, and the mesh of the bottom net is 1.5 cm. The size of the cage is preferably 12 m to 24 m, the shape is preferably square or rectangular, and the depth is required to be 2 m.

2. Reasonably place the cages

Use nan bamboo or wooden strips to make a frame, place the cage inside the frame, use cylindrical foam as floats, and use cobblestones as sinkers at the bottom of the cage, so that the cage rises and falls with the water level. The water quality in the area where the cages are set is required to be lively and fresh, with relatively high dissolved oxygen. Put the cages into the water one week before stocking the fingerlings, so that algae adhere to the cage walls and reduce abrasions on the fish. The distance between cages should be 2 m to 3 m. In areas with strong sunlight, a shade cover should be added above the cages.

3. Pay attention to water source and water quality

The water source is required to be sufficient, stable and free of any pollution. The water depth of the area where the cages are set is required to be more than 2.5 m. Good water quality must be maintained, the water transparency should be more than 30 cm, and the water exchange volume is required not to be large.

II. Fingerling Stocking

1. Source of fingerlings

The fingerlings must be yellow catfish produced by a regular hatchery, required to be uniform in size, bright in color, free of injuries on the body surface, robust in build, and lively in swimming. It is best to use artificially bred fingerlings, which have a high survival rate and are easy to domesticate.

2. Stocking time

Cage culture of yellow catfish generally begins stocking fingerlings around the Spring Festival, when the water temperature is low and the fish are less likely to be injured. Before the fingerlings are put into the cages, they need to be soaked in 5% salt water to kill parasites and pathogens.

3. Stocking density

The density for cage culture of yellow catfish is generally 100 fish per square m to 150 fish per square m. In addition, some blunt snout bream and fine-scaled xenocypris can be appropriately polycultured to make full use of the feed and purify the water quality in the cage. Yellow catfish grow slowly at the fry and fingerling stage, and their growth speed noticeably accelerates after they grow to more than 4 cm. They reach sexual maturity after one year, and males grow noticeably faster than females. Generally by the end of August they can reach more than 200 g per fish.

III. Feed and Feeding

The following points should be noted in feeding yellow catfish:

1. Feed preparation

The yellow catfish is a carnivorous fish. In natural waters, the food of the yellow catfish is mainly small shrimp, fish and fish eggs, and some aquatic insects, aquatic plants, etc. Therefore, live animal feed can be used for artificial culture. In recent years, self-made compound feed is mostly used for domesticated feeding. The feed is made by mixing imported fish meal, meat and bone meal, blood meal, soybean meal, rapeseed meal, dried fish worms, etc. with feed additives. In the early stage, the protein content is above 34% and the fat content is 4%; in the later stage, small miscellaneous fish meal can replace part of the imported fish meal, with a protein content of 30% and a fat content of 6%. The feed fed must be fresh and free of mold and rancidity. Choose complete-price feed produced by regular manufacturers. The feed is best in powder form; when feeding, mix the feed into a paste and put it on the feed platform in the cage. Yellow catfish like to eat soft feed. In areas with the conditions, the fish can be ground into a slurry and then mixed with powder feed for feeding. Since there is currently no special feed for yellow catfish on the market, it is recommended to use channel catfish feed instead.

2. Domestication and feeding

Wild yellow catfish prefer to feed at night and hide by day. Under artificial culture conditions, after 5 days to 7 days of domestication, they can completely feed while floating up in the daytime. Two days after the fry and fingerlings are put into the cages, artificial feeding is used for domestication. During domestication, a fixed feeding signal is used to train them to feed at fixed points and fixed times. After patient domestication for 5 days to 7 days, this can be achieved. For domesticated fry and fingerlings, normal feeding can be carried out on the second day after being put into the cages. Feeding can be done in two forms: manual and mechanical.

3. Reasonable feeding

The whole feeding process should be divided into three stages: in the first stage, in May and June, feed 4 times a day, with a daily feeding rate of 3% to 5%; in the second stage, in July, August and September, feed 3 times a day, with a feeding rate of 2% to 3%; in the third stage, after October, feed 2 times a day, with a feeding rate of 2%. The specific feeding amount should be such that the yellow catfish finish eating without leftovers. On this basis, the feeding amount should also be adjusted according to weather and water quality conditions. In addition, because the yellow catfish has a relatively large mouth opening, the feed particle size should be correspondingly increased. Pellet feed with a particle size of 2.0 mm is used as the opening feed, and the particle size of adult fish feed can reach more than 5 mm. Sinking hard pellet feed is required to remain stable in water for 15 minutes, while using floating feed will better improve feed utilization.

IV. Daily Management Must Be Strengthened

In cage culture of yellow catfish, daily management is very important. The main tasks are as follows:

1. Regular inspection

During culture, operations should be standardized, fish growth should be checked regularly, and careful observation should be made so that problems are handled promptly. Keep a cage culture log, recording daily water temperature, feeding, feed amount, dead fish and diseases, etc.

2. Brushing the cages

Frequently brush and wash away dirt and attached algae on the cages so that the water body is fully exchanged.

3. Checking the cages

Frequently check the cages and repair damage promptly to avoid fish escaping or ferocious fish entering the cages.

4. Adjusting the cages

As the reservoir water level rises and falls, the cages need to be adjusted to a suitable water depth.

5. Timely partial harvesting

In order to adjust the culture density and improve benefits, timely harvesting for market should be carried out according to market conditions and fish growth, so as to maximize economic benefits. Cage culture of yellow catfish generally begins partial harvesting and sales in batches from early August.

V. Fish Disease Prevention and Control Must Be Taken Seriously

The yellow catfish has relatively strong disease resistance. As long as water quality is controlled strictly according to requirements and routine disinfection and prevention work is done well, diseases rarely occur. Once a disease occurs, it is necessary to diagnose it promptly and use medication precisely for treatment. Because the yellow catfish is a scaleless fish, its tolerance to commonly used drugs is inferior to that of domestic fish. Therefore, prevention should be the main approach, and highly effective, low-toxicity drugs should be used as much as possible during treatment. It is recommended to use regular feeding of medicated bait as a preventive method, using chloramphenicol, oxytetracycline, etc. as well as Chinese herbal medicines such as rhubarb and isatis root at a 0.1% to 0.4% addition rate for 3 days to 5 days each month. Or hang bags of bleaching powder or a mixture of copper sulfate and ferrous sulfate (5:2), generally replacing them once a week. Try to avoid injuring the fish during catching, stocking and transport, so as to prevent infection with water mold in early spring and in low-temperature seasons in winter.