Abstract

Conventional approaches to feeding aquatic species in mainstream aquaculture often require purchase and delivery of a high-cost processed rations, feed storage facilities, and labor and equipment inputs to dispense feeds. Energy costs and other resource constraints are forcing both agriculturalists and aquaculturalists to move toward more conservative practices such as minimum or no tillage, double cropping, polyculture, crop rotation, heat recovery, and on-farm recycling of waste products. Research at LSU has recently focused on use of pond-planted forage crops as an appropriate feed delivery system in crawfish farming. Production of harvestable (> 75 rmi) crawfish has ranged as high as 2000 kg/ha in forage-planted ponds. A partial list of plant species currently being evaluated includes rice (0ryza sativa), sorghum (Sorghum spp.), American jointed vetch (Aeschynoneiiia americana), Japanese millet (Echinocloa frumentacea), and alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides). Development of a Detritus-based forage/feeding system appears to be an appropriate approach based on present biological knowledge regarding crawfish food, water quality, and behavioral requirements, and also in the larger socio-agricultural context.

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