Abstract

Water quality and crayfish production were evaluated in nine 0.1-ha earthen ponds with one of three different management treatments during the 1990/91 and 1991/92 culture seasons. Crayfish were provided rice forage, rice forage with a supplemental feed or total feed. Crayfish were harvested 30 d from the rice forage treatment and 60 d each from the supplemental feed and total feed treatments. Air temperatures were cooler in 1991 /92 than in 1990/91. Dissolved oxygen levels were higher in feed treatment than in ponds with rice forage. Biomass of rice forage in the supplemental feed treatment was higher in 1990/91 than the 1991/92 culture season following an extended harvest. Total length (TL) of harvested crayfish did not vary over the harvest season; however, crayfish were significantly larger in the 1990/91 season. Proportion of the crayfish harvested > 100 mm TL in 1990/91 was 59% from the feed treatment and approximately 82% from the rice forage and rice forage with supplemental feed treatments. Harvest rates at 30 d were higher from the rice forage treatment (16.27 ± 2.14 kg ha^-1, harvest d^-1) and supplemental feed treatment (18. 71 ± 5.53) than the feed treatment (5.77 ± 5.13) in 1990/91. In 1991/92 the harvest rate at 30 d was highest in the rice forage treatment (12.31 ± 7.47 kg,ha^-1,harvest d^-1) and lowest in the feed treatment (2.65 ± 1.14). Average harvest rates at 60 d for the supplemental and feed treatments were low (2-4 kg,ha^-1,harvest d^-1) in both culture seasons. Total crayfish production was higher in 1990/91 than in 1991/92. Production in 1990/91 was 336 kg,ha^-1 in 30 d from the rice forage treatment and 520 and 248 kg,ha^-1 in 60 d from supplemental feed and total feed treatments, respectively.

Supplemental Documents

• There are no supplementary documents for this article

Cited By

Citations: