Abstract
Cage farming of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) has expanded rapidly into private farm reservoirs of the Western Cape. During the grow-out season 2006, water quality problems such as increased mortality rates and off-flavour of the final product caused economic losses. To set criteria for improved site selection, water quality information of surface and near-bottom water was correlated with morphometric reservoir data, fish production data as well as the observed production difficulties. The data revealed good linkage between reservoir information and fish production data as well as production problems. The production problems correlated (P<0.01) with single water quality parameters so that suggestions for risk management indicators can be made. By ranking the data, threshold values for better production practice were determined. Thereafter, reservoirs of a minimum surface area of at least 3 ha would be recommended as well as reservoirs with good water exchange rates (>1 per year) to avoid oxygen problems. Reservoirs of larger surface area (>5 ha) produced significantly larger fish that grew faster and showed lower mortality rates.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
