Improvements in Channel Catfish Growth after Two Generations of Selection and Comparison of Performance Traits among Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, and Hybrid Catfish Fingerlings in an Aquarium Rack System

Abstract

Abstract.-A 9-week growth study was conducted to compare the fingerling performance of two genetic groups of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] 103 and USDA303) with that of blue catfish I. furcatus and their hybrid in an aquarium rack system. Fish of approximately 20 g were randomly selected from multifamily populations and acclimated to the aquarium rack system for 2 weeks prior to the start of the 9-week study. Differences in growth indices, feed and protein efficiency, nitrogen retention, whole-body proximate composition, and plasma cortisol levels were determined at the completion of the study. The USDA303 channel catfish gained significantly more weight and consumed more feed than each of the other genetic groups. Feed and protein efficiency were similar among USDA103, USDA303, and hybrid catfish but were lower for blue catfish. Nitrogen retention was highest for hybrid catfish and lowest for blue catfish. No differences in final body composition were observed between genetic groups when final weight was used as a covariate. Plasma cortisol levels after 9 weeks ranged from 9.7 ng/mL in blue catfish to 24.5 ng/mL in USDA103 channel catfish but were not significantly different among genetic groups. This study demonstrates improved growth of the USDA303 channel catfish after two generations of selection for increased body weight and reports significant differences in performance among channel catfish, blue catfish, and hybrid catfish in an aquarium rack system.The majority of catfish grown and sold in the United States for human consumption are channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. In the early 1990s, interest in another ictalurid, the blue catfish I. furcatus, as a potential culture species prompted several studies to compare culture characteristics of the blue catfish to those of the channel catfish (Dunham et al. 1990(Dunham et al. , 1993Tidwell and Mims 1990). More recently, a slow economy and the threat of foreign fish imports to the profitability of U.S. catfish farming have prompted further interest in the blue catfish as well as renewed efforts in genetic improvement of channel catfish and hybridization between channel catfish and blue catfish. Several studies comparing the performance of channel catfish, blue catfish, and their hybrid in ponds have been published (Dunham et al. 1990(Dunham et al. , 1993Tidwell and Mims 1990;Argue et al. 2003;Bosworth et al. 2004;Li et al. 2004). However, little has been published regarding the impact of genotype-environment interactions on performance evaluations. Efficient performance evaluations of large numbers of catfish strains or families require very large pond or tank facilities with good environmental control. Often, the constraints of space and environmental control dictate the use of aquaria for large comparative studies of juvenile performance. The choice of culture system may, however, skew the results of the comparison. In one study, Dunham et al. (1990) found that hybrid catfish grew faster than channel catfish i...

Evaluation of Growth and Disease Resistance of USDA103, USDA303, USDA102, and USDA102 × USDA103 Strains of Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

“…However, when final weight was added as a covariate in the statistical model, body composition indices were similar among the four genetic groups. Small (2006) also found a tendency toward lower protein content and higher fat content for USDA103 and USDA303 catfish when compared to hybrid and blue catfish at the end of a 9‐wk study. As in the current study, Small (2006) used final weight in the statistical analysis and found that mean body composition indices were not significantly different among the four strains of fish.…”

“…This would suggest that the USDA102 fish were not as efficient as the other three strains in converting feed and dietary protein to weight gain. In a study comparing USDA103 and USDA303 strains, Small (2006) also found that PER and NR were similar between these two strains of fish.…”

Comparison of Growth, Body Composition, and Stress Responses of USDA103, USDA403, Industry, and Fast Growing Lines of Channel Catfish

“…Therefore, the initial size differences appear to have a genetic basis. In addition, USDA103 channel catfish lines typically have superior early growth compared with other catfish lines in both pond and tank trials (Li et al 1998; Li et al 2001; Bosworth et al 2004; Small 2006; Peterson et al 2008b).…”

An integrated closed system for fish-plankton aquaculture in Amazonian fresh water

“…(since the system operating implies no sedimentation, no waste discharge, and no N gaseous lost) where, in the overall circuit: A bibliographic approach was employed in the nitrogen (N) budget assessment, using the Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque, 1818 (a siluriform comparable to P. punctifer), N retention (%) of N consumed (Small, 2006), the tilapia (cichlid) N retention (%) of N consumed (Beveridge et al, 1991), and the N composition of Chlorella sp. (Gilles et al, 2013).…”

“…Evaluation of the nitrogen budget during the second period The N amount included in the food was 455 g, 165.4 g of which was retained by P. punctifer and 289.4 g excreted, using the Channel Catfish retention rate (Small, 2006). On the basis that N excreted by P. punctifer was retained by sewage fish, directly eating feces, dead algae, and bacteria, and indirectly consuming dissolved N (urine), then using a retention rate of 43% (Beveridge et al, 1991), the N amount retained by the sewage fish was 136.0 g, and 153.4 g excreted.…”