Comparative Cost Analysis of Hybrid Striped Bass Fingerling Production in Ponds and Tanks

Abstract

Year-round production of hybrid striped bass (female white bass Morone chrysops × male striped bass M. saxatilis) fingerlings would allow food fish growers to sell their product throughout the year, which would improve the consistency of market supply and cash flow for the farm. However, pond production of fingerlings is seasonal and precludes year-round supply. Tank culture methods have been developed to produce hybrid striped bass fingerlings indoors throughout the year, but the associated costs have not been estimated or compared with pond production costs. Economic engineering techniques were used to estimate production costs for phase I hybrid striped bass fingerlings in ponds (0.4, 1.2, or 2.4 ha) and tanks (945, 2,457, or 5,670 L) for production scales of 50,000, 100,000, 250,000, 500,000, 1,000,000, or 2,000,000 fingerlings per year. The results demonstrated that there are economies of scale in terms of the volume of production and the size of the production unit. Overall, pond production per 1,000 fingerlings was substantially less expensive than tank production, even accounting for the increased number of annual production cycles in tanks. Production costs were sensitive to survival rates and can be reduced by 7-14% and 5-11% for each 5% improvement in survival in ponds and tanks, respectively. Substituting microcyst brine shrimp for rotifers Artemia spp. in the diet may have the potential to reduce the tank costs of producing hybrid striped bass depending on fingerling survival beyond 14 d posthatch. Additional research is needed to improve overall fingerling survival both during the early fry rearing stage and after training to dry feed.

A Comparative Analysis of the Economic Risk of Hybrid Striped Bass Fingerling Production in Ponds and Indoor Tanks

“…Overall, pond production entailed less risk than tank production, primarily due to the increased costs associated with tank production. This supports findings of Eklund et al (2012) that pond production is economically preferable to tank production. As with the Eklund et al (2012), study results may differ for palmetto bass (♀ striped bass Morone saxatilis × ♂white bass M. chrysops).…”

“…This supports findings of Eklund et al (2012) that pond production is economically preferable to tank production. As with the Eklund et al (2012), study results may differ for palmetto bass (♀ striped bass Morone saxatilis × ♂white bass M. chrysops). Tuncer et al (1990) showed that palmetto bass do not require the costly rotifer feeding stage.…”

“…The Eklund et al (2012) budgets for 15 pond and 17 tank production scenarios were used as the starting point for development of a risk analysis. Data were compiled for the following key parameters: (1) feed prices from 1990 to 2009 (Hanson and Sites 2010); (2) the federal funds rate (Federal Reserve Board; www.federalreserve.gov) as a measure of the variability in interest rates; (3) wage rates (Bureau of Labor Statistics; www.bls.gov); (4) electric and gasoline/diesel rates (Department of Energy; www.eia.doe.gov); and (5) the prices of fertilizer, salt, and lime (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service; www.ers.usda.gov).…”

“…The costs of various effluent treatment options (Wui and Engle 2004;Sydorovich and Daniels 2011) and the economic effects of restrictions on access to black carp Mylopharyngodon piceus have been evaluated (Wui and Engle 2007). Eklund et al (2012) developed a comprehensive cost analysis of hybrid striped bass fingerling production in ponds and indoor tank systems. Three pond sizes (0.4, 1.2, and 2.4 ha) and three sizes of tanks (945, 2,457, and 5,670 L) were modeled at six scales of production (50,000, 100,000, 250,000, 500,000, 1,000,000, and 2,000,000).…”

“…Varying survival rates and prices of inputs create economic risk that is reflected in fluctuating break-even prices. Eklund et al (2012) demonstrated that the cost of producing hybrid striped bass fingerlings would be reduced by 7-14% in ponds and 5-11% in tanks for each 5% improvement in survival. However, the static cost analysis developed by Eklund et al (2012) did not allow for explicit evaluation of the effects of the risk of fluctuations in survival and other parameters.…”