Economically important production relationships in channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ) foodfish production

The US catfish industry is evolving by adopting production‐intensifying practices that enhance productivity. Catfish producers have increased aeration rates over time, and some now use intensive rates of aeration (>9.33 kW/ha). Costs and production performance were monitored at commercial catfish farms using high levels of aeration (11.2–18.7 kW/ha) in Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi. A multivariate‐cluster analysis was used to identify four different management clusters of intensively aerated commercial catfish farms based on stocking density, size of fingerlings at stocking, and feed conversion ratios (FCR). Breakeven prices of hybrid catfish raised in intensively aerated pond systems were estimated to range from $1.86/kg to $2.17/kg, with the lowest costs associated with the second greatest level of production intensity. The two medium‐intensity clusters generated sufficiently high revenues for long‐term profitability. However, the least‐intensive and the most‐intensive clusters were economically feasible only when catfish and feed prices were closer to less probable market prices. Feed price, FCR, and yield contributed the most to downside risk. Intensive aeration in catfish ponds, up to the levels analyzed in this study, appears to be economically feasible under the medium‐intensity management strategies identified in this analysis.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economics of Intensively Aerated Catfish Ponds

Kumar

Engle²

2016

“…This process often results in a wide range of production practices across farms at any given time. The US catfish production technologies have tended to become more intensive over time (Engle ) because the relatively high capital costs of US catfish production provide strong incentives to increase yields (Bastola and Engle ). However, farms with the greatest yields are not always the most profitable (Sarig ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Economics of US Catfish Production Strategies: Evidence from a Cross‐sectional Survey

Johnson

Engle

Wagner

2014

Understanding the effects of specific management strategies on yields and economic outcomes on commercial catfish farms could provide useful guidance to catfish farmers on the most profitable sets of production practices. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Animal Health Monitoring System (USDA-NAHMS) 2009 survey of production practices on catfish farms in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi were used to identify five clusters of catfish farms that use various stocking densities, channel versus hybrid catfish, different aeration levels, and utilize automated oxygen sensors. The lowest production costs ($1.96/kg) were found in cluster 1 and were followed in order of increasing costs per kilogram of clusters 2 and 4 ($2.16/kg) and cluster 5 ($2.73/kg); the highest cost corresponded to cluster 3 ($2.84/kg). The lowest risk levels corresponded to the clusters with the lowest production costs per kilogram of fish and the highest risk levels to the highest production costs. This analysis demonstrated that different types of management models can achieve similar levels of production costs ($/kg), and it appears that there is not one single economically optimum way to raise catfish. The key to least-cost production is to balance the use of inputs, their associated costs, and the yield produced to achieve economic efficiency within the farm's overall business and management model.

“…Experimental designs seek to standardize and control as many factors as possible, including aeration, feeding, and predator control (Kumar & Engle, 2017a). The 10‐fold greater size of commercial ponds makes them more vulnerable to bird predation, although cormorants feed on 0.4‐ha research ponds as well, and reduces control over other factors (Engle et al, 2020; T. R. Hanson et al, 2020; Kumar, Hegde, et al, 2021) that result in higher and more variable FCR values when compared to results from research ponds (Bastola & Engle, 2012; Hegde, Kumar, Engle, Hanson, et al, 2022; Kumar, Engle, et al, 2021). Moreover, the very small 0.04–0.4‐ha research ponds typically are hand fed that is not possible on commercial‐scale ponds.…”

Section: Review Of Research Fcr Values and Factors That Affect Fcrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting feed conversion ratios in US commercial catfish production ponds

Stone,

Engle,

Kumar

et al. 2024

Self Cite

Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is widely used as a measure of feed use efficiency in commercial aquaculture production and research. Surprisingly, little work has focused on the factors that affect FCR in plankton‐based, commercial ponds despite the widespread use of FCR as a production metric. Proposals to use FCR as a numeric standard for environmental regulation (mandatory or voluntary) raise questions as to whether FCR meets the reliability and consistency requirements of a good metric, and whether it would lead to desired behavioral changes. This article summarizes FCR data from university research verification programs conducted on US catfish farms and databases developed from commercial farm records. The relevant research literature is synthesized with respect to factors that affect FCR. US catfish is used as a case study because pond‐level data from verification trials (Extension/research‐led on‐farm trials of best available science) and commercial farm records are available. While specific to US catfish production, the analysis provides insights into factors affecting FCR that likely apply to other pond‐based aquaculture species. Commercial verification of pond data showed (1) significant variation in FCR (coefficients of variation from 1% to 47%) among ponds with similar stocking, feeding, and aeration rates; (2) significant effects of survival on FCR; and (3) no significant effects on FCR of yield, feed type, management, or production system. Improvements in FCR would occur with improved survival that requires improved management of federally protected fish‐eating bird populations and development of additional, effective vaccines for diseases. FCRs were found to not exhibit the degree of reliability and consistency required for use as an effective metric or numeric standard for regulatory purposes. Use of FCR for mandatory or voluntary regulation is unlikely to lead to behavioral changes by farmers.