Sources and selection methods of yellow catfish broodstock

Broodstock for artificial breeding can be directly caught and selected from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds and other water bodies; this is currently the common method used by aquaculture units for artificial breeding of yellow catfish. If conditions permit, you can cultivate yellow catfish broodstock yourself and then select from them. When catching broodstock from rivers, lakes, outer waters, reservoirs or ponds, the following points should be noted:

Specific requirements

① Broodstock should be caught in autumn and winter, when the water temperature is lower, which is conducive to selection and handling, and especially easy for transporting broodstock, with low oxygen consumption.

② The nets used for catching broodstock should be soft and smooth (generally nylon line material is used for nets). When removing yellow catfish from gill nets, be careful and gentle to avoid injuring the fish body, which would otherwise affect the survival rate and egg-carrying capacity during intensive cultivation in ponds.

③ When yellow catfish for artificial breeding and yellow catfish caught from rivers are used as parents for cultivation, they should be cultivated separately. This is conducive to broodstock cultivation, reduces cultivation costs, and achieves the goal of a high breeding rate.

(1) Selection of broodstock

Yellow catfish used for broodstock cultivation should be strictly selected: pure breed, large individual size, robust constitution, no disease symptoms, complete fin rays, female fish weighing more than 75 grams, male fish weighing more than i00 grams, and placed in dedicated ponds for cultivation. If broodstock caught from rivers, lakes, outer waters or reservoirs in early spring have already reached sexual maturity, they can be raised in dedicated ponds and used directly for breeding.

(2) Transportation of broodstock

The standard requirements for transporting yellow catfish are very high, similar to those for conventional fish. Given the body shape of yellow catfish, broodstock are not suitable for long-distance transportation. Because the hard spines on the pectoral and dorsal fins of yellow catfish are hard, during large-capacity and long-duration transport, the fish bodies easily prick each other. If nylon bags with oxygen are used for transport, they can also easily puncture the nylon bags, causing serious transport failures. Therefore, when transporting yellow catfish broodstock, a detailed transport plan should be made, and transport personnel should be conscientious and responsible to ensure the survival rate of broodstock.

(3) Methods of transporting yellow catfish

There are live-fish boat transport and live-fish truck transport. Live-fish trucks should be equipped with direct oxygen supply equipment and dual sets of oxygen supply equipment, to prevent damage to the oxygen supply equipment during transport and causing serious losses.

At the same time, on live-fish trucks, cloth bags made of rubber-plastic cloth are prepared so that broodstock suffer less injury. In areas with developed water networks, the best choice is live-fish boat transport, which is the most effective method, featuring large transport volume and convenient transport. However, during transport, attention should be paid to the water intake of the live-fish boat to ensure the dissolved oxygen content of the water body. At the same time, it is also necessary to guard against polluted water quality in the water flow along the way, to ensure the best results in transporting broodstock.