How much does a snakehead fry cost in Shenyang? Introduction to artificial breeding and farming techniques

The snakehead is a valuable freshwater fish, known as the “treasure among fish.” It is also called the northern snakehead, snakehead murrel, black fish, wealth fish, and matchstick fish, among other names. It is a highly nutritious health food with comprehensive nutrition and delicious meat, and has long been regarded as a nourishing delicacy for those recovering from illness and for the young and old with weak constitutions. At present, snakehead farming is highly profitable and has become one of the popular choices in aquaculture. Apart from the plateau regions, the snakehead is mainly distributed in the Yangtze River basin and as far north as the Heilongjiang area, with the largest numbers in provinces such as Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Henan, and Liaoning. So, how much does a snakehead fry cost in Shenyang at present? How is artificial breeding carried out? What are the farming techniques?

At present, the price of snakehead fry in Shenyang is roughly around 1 yuan each, and the unit price is cheaper when bought in larger quantities.

The snakehead has very strong vitality, ranking first among freshwater fish. It has strong environmental adaptability and low requirements for pond water quality, and can be farmed at high density. Each mu of pond can stock 8000 to 10000 fingerlings, with yields reaching 4000 to 5000 kg. The snakehead grows quickly, and fry from early spring can be raised into market-size fish within the same year. Snakeheads have few diseases and a high survival rate, and adult fish are easy to transport, making long-distance sales convenient.

Artificial breeding of snakehead

1. Selection of parent fish

Every year in mid-May is the snakehead breeding season. Mature, robust male and female snakeheads should be selected as parent fish at a ratio of 1:1. The method for distinguishing male from female is as follows: the female snakehead has a swollen and soft abdomen, black and white in color, with an obvious ovary outline, a groove appearing in the center, and a protruding, pinkish genital pore; the male snakehead has a purplish-red body color, with neat rows of transparent white small round spots arranged from bottom to top on the dorsal fin, a darker abdomen, and a slightly enlarged, slightly concave, triangular, pale pink genital pore. Before inducing spawning, place the male and female fish separately in net cages to rest for one day without feeding, which is more conducive to spawning.

2. Induced spawning of parent fish

The female fish is injected in two doses. The first injection is 1/3 of the total dose, with an interval of 18 to 26 hours, and the remaining dose is injected all at once. The dose for the male fish is half that of the female, injected at the time of the female's second injection. Most fish are injected via the thoracic cavity, at a 45° angle to the fish body, with a needle depth of about 1 cm. Commonly used hormones include carp and crucian carp pituitary, with a dose of 4 to 8 per kg for the female and half for the male; or human chorionic gonadotropin, with 16000 to 24000 international units per kg for the female and half for the male.

3. Egg hatching

① Hatching by artificially simulating the natural environment: after injecting the spawning agent, place males and females at a 1:1 ratio into a pond to let them spawn, fertilize, and hatch naturally. After the fry hatch, take advantage of the snakehead's brood-caring behavior to let them tend the fry freely. This method saves labor and time, but the drawback is a low fry survival rate and uneven growth and development.

② Artificial net cage hatching: after induced spawning injection, place males and females at a 1:1 ratio into 4 to 6 sq m net cages to spawn and fertilize, then remove the parent fish and put them into a large pond. Place the eggs into 40-mesh net cages, with 10000 fertilized eggs per cage, and hatch using a micro-flow water method. The hatching rate depends on the fertilization rate and water quality. At 22 to 27°C, it takes 32 to 48 hours. Check frequently and promptly remove unfertilized eggs.

4. Fry rearing

From hatching to before reaching 2 cm, the fry should be placed in net cages made of 40-mesh netting with specifications of 1 m × 0.5 m × 0.5 m, at a density of 2000 fry per sq m. Four to five days after hatching, feed rotifers or cladocerans, copepods, etc., using a method of small amounts given frequently, once every 4 hours, for 3 to 4 days; afterward, increase the amount fed and reduce the frequency, gradually transitioning to 2 times a day. When the snakehead fry reach 2 cm, transfer them to net cages made of 8- to 16-mesh summer-fry netting, with an area of 10 to 15 sq m, preferably rectangular, at a density of 500 to 600 fry per sq m

5. Feeding bait

The bait is mainly zooplankton. At 4 to 5 cm, feed minced fish meat mixed with zooplankton. To prevent debris and filamentous algae from clogging the mesh, brush and wash once a day, change cages once a week, and thoroughly disinfect the net cages.

Snakehead farming techniques

1. Pond construction

Choose an east-west oriented, rectangular pond with a mud bottom, a pond depth of 2 to 2.5 m, and a water depth of 1.5 to 2 m. Anti-escape facilities must be installed at the inlet and outlet. Apply 100 to 150 kg of quicklime per mu 15 days before farming for thorough disinfection.

2. Fingerling stocking

Before the fingerlings are put into the pond, soak them in 3% to 5% salt water for 10 to 15 minutes, then place them in the pond. For fingerlings with a body length of 10 to 14 cm, the stocking density is 9000 to 10000 per mu; for those of 16 to 20 cm, the stocking density is 8000 per mu.

3. Daily management

Pay attention to observing the snakehead's feeding, activity, disease trends, and environmental changes. In spring, change 4/5 of the pond water every week; in the hot season, do a small water change every 3 days and a large water change every 7 days. Install anti-escape nets at the inlet and outlet, and it is best for the pond embankment to be more than 50 cm above the water surface. The discharged wastewater should undergo necessary wastewater treatment.

4. Feed feeding

The feed for raising snakeheads includes artificial compound feed, small freshwater or saltwater trash fish, and offal from livestock and poultry slaughter. Before feeding trash fish, they need to be sorted to remove fish with hard spines, such as yellow catfish. Before feeding, use tapping as a signal to gather distant fish near the feeding station, reducing feed waste. The initial feeding amount is 10% of body weight, which can later be appropriately reduced to about 5% of body weight. Feed should be given one scoop at a time, which reduces feed waste. Feeding should follow the “four fixed” principle, and 3 to 4 feeding points should be chosen for each pond. Using intensive farming methods, for fish over 10 cm in body length, after 8 to 9 months of farming, the survival rate is 75% to 80%, the average body weight is 0.5 to 0.7 kg, and the yield per mu is 4000 to 5000 kg. Plant some aquatic plants in the pond, such as cattail, tape grass, and alligator weed, with the planting area controlled at 1/3 of the pond area.