Breeding Techniques and Management Methods for Adult Snakehead Fish

Snakehead fish is a valuable freshwater fish of high economic value, known as the "treasure among fish." It is highly nutritious and contains a large amount of protein, more than that found in chicken and beef. From a nutritional standpoint, snakehead fish is a premium health food that is nutritionally complete and has delicious meat.

Breeding adult snakehead fish refers to the production process of raising fingerlings into food fish in small water bodies such as ponds, tanks and cages. Artificial snakehead fish farming includes two types: extensive polyculture and intensive monoculture. Extensive polyculture means raising them together with the Four Major Chinese Carps and other fish in a fishing pond. Intensive monoculture, on the other hand, uses conditions of abundant water sources and sufficient bait for high-density monoculture, and is divided into cage monoculture and pond monoculture. In recent years, pond high-density monoculture has been the main approach. It is briefly described below for reference only.

Preparation Before Breeding

1. Breeding facilities: earthen ponds, cement ponds, etc. The water depth should be 1 m to 2 m. Water supply and drainage equipment must be complete.

2. Water quality: It must be pollution-free, and the water should preferably be neutral or weakly alkaline.

3. Area: The area of the fishing pond should be relatively small, preferably about 1 mu, and should not exceed 2 mu at most.

4. Anti-escape facilities such as a 40 cm to 60 cm net enclosure must be installed around the pond.

5. Plant aquatic plants on the water surface around the pond, generally no more than about 20%, to provide shade from sunlight, allow the fish to escape the heat and catch food, and also to purify the water quality and regulate water temperature.

Breeding Techniques

1. Stocking fingerlings: ① Select fingerlings of the current year measuring over 10 cm, and the fingerlings must be uniform in size, uninjured and disease-free. ② The source of fingerlings should preferably be locally produced fingerlings. ③ The stocking time is preferably from early September to early October, when the fish can feed and recover their condition, improving the overwintering survival rate. Post-year stocking is in March to April. ④ Disinfection: Strict disinfection must be carried out before release into the pond. ⑤ Stocking density: At a water depth of 1.2 m to 1.5 m, stock 8,000 to 9,000 fish per mu for 50 g to 60 g fingerlings, and 5,000 to 6,000 fish per mu for 80 g to 100 g fingerlings.

2. Feeding management: Feeding should adhere to the "four fixeds," namely fixed quality, fixed quantity, fixed time and fixed location. Before feeding, use tapping sounds as a "signal" to form a "sensory" response, gathering the snakehead fish around the feeding site, which easily forms a feeding frenzy, increases food intake and reduces bait waste.

The types of bait are mainly fresh aquatic animals, primarily marine and freshwater small miscellaneous fish, shrimp, etc. When feeding is vigorous, the amount of bait is about 8% of the fish weight, and can reach more than 10% at most. During the off-season, it is 3% to 4%. When feeding, use the "slow, fast, slow" method, which gives good feeding results and less feed waste; once most of the fish have eaten their fill and swim away, feeding can be stopped. When the weather, air pressure and water quality differ, the food intake of the fish varies greatly.

3. Daily management: Mainly do a good job in the following aspects: ① Pond inspection. Observe the fish's feeding, activity, water quality changes, whether there are signs of floating head, whether there are diseased fish, etc., and deal with problems promptly when found. ② Water change. Snakehead fish take in high-protein bait every day, so the ammonia concentration in the pond water is relatively high, especially in summer when the water temperature is high, and the water body is very likely to deteriorate. For this reason, the water body needs to be replaced in a timely manner, generally replacing 1/3 every week and 4/5 every half month. Where conditions permit, it is best to maintain micro-flowing water for breeding, and during the breeding period the water temperature should preferably not exceed 30°C. ③ Anti-escape. As snakehead fish gradually grow, their jumping ability increases, especially when changing water on rainy days or in the early morning, when jumping is very active. Therefore, the height of the pond ridge above the water surface should generally be greater than 50 cm, sturdy anti-escape nets must be installed at the inlet and outlet, and anti-escape nets or anti-escape walls must be installed around the pond.

Diseases and Prevention

1. Saprolegniasis. Prevention and treatment method: Be careful during netting, transportation and stocking operations to prevent injury to the fish body. When fingerlings develop the disease, they can be soaked in a 3% to 5% saltwater solution.

2. Myxosporidiosis. Prevention and treatment method: Treat with 90% crystallized trichlorfon at a concentration of 0.2 ppm to 0.5 ppm.