How to identify high-quality fish fry? Master these selection tips

Check the size of the fish fry. Fish of the same species from the same pond should be uniform and even when harvested, with little difference in body length and weight. In contrast, poor-quality fish fry with large individual differences and uneven sizes often result in a low overall survival rate due to competition for food, mixed genetic stock, poor management and other reasons.

Check the body color of the fish fry. High-quality fish fry have bright, glossy body colors. Different species and different farming methods produce fish fry with different body colors. Generally speaking, high-quality silver carp fry should have a silver-gray back and silvery-white sides and belly. High-quality grass carp fry have a pale golden-yellow body color, with grayish-black net-like scales that are relatively distinct, and the healthier the fish, the more obvious the pale golden-yellow color. High-quality bighead carp fry mostly have a pale golden-yellow body color, with black markings across the body not very obvious. If the fish fry's body color is relatively dark, or even jet black, it indicates that the fry are weak or diseased fish.

Check the activity of the fish fry. High-quality fish fry are lively, strongly gregarious, and when startled quickly gather in groups and dive to the bottom. They compete aggressively for food, swim strongly against the current, and when densely grouped, the fry point their heads downward so that only their tails can be seen constantly swaying. In contrast, weak or diseased fish with poor constitution move slowly, do not form groups, swim alone, compete poorly for food, and swim weakly against the current.

Take random samples of fish fry to check their quality. High-quality fry jump violently when out of water, are plump and strong, with small heads and thick backs, glossy body color, moist flesh, intact scales and fins, gill covers that do not flare open, tails that do not bend, and no parasites or wounds on the body surface, with a normal shape and no deformities. In contrast, weak or diseased fish jump weakly, have incomplete scales and fins, show congestion, are thin and weak with big heads and small tails, backs as thin as a knife blade, and may even have "no belly" or "stick to the net."