Alabama Fish Farming Center Research

Alabama is home to a unique marine shrimp farming industry that utilizes inland low-salinity artesian groundwater as the culture medium. The culture of shrimp in this environment presents several unique challenges related to production. The Alabama Fish Farming Center has recently carried out projects evaluating alternative feed ingredients on commercial farms to enhance the survival, growth, and health of shrimp reared in low salinity water, intercropping of shrimp and crayfish, the effect of bird depredation on shrimp production, and investigation of late-term mortality of large market-size shrimp prior to harvest. The Center works closely with commercial shrimp farms, Claude Peteet Mariculture Center, and the USDA Agriculture Research Service Aquatic Animal Health Research Unit to carry out industry-relevant shrimp research to support the U.S. shrimp industry.

Catfish farming is a major part of the economy for rural west Alabama. Producers in thisindustry face a variety of challenges that threaten profitability and make it difficult to sustain successful farming operations. One of the more recent problems farmers have encountered is the buildup of “oversized” catfish, fish that grow beyond the preferred market size, resulting insignificantly reduced market prices. Aside from their growth to undesirable sizes, fish remainingin production beyond initial harvest, take up space and consume valuable resources intended for the next crop. Over time, this reduces farm efficiency, increases production cost, and reduces farm income. In addition, disease loss remains a persistent problem in catfish production, with outbreaks resulting in inventory losses, reduced growth, and increased management expenses.The objective of this project is to identify factors influencing oversized fish abundance and how they relate to production practices and disease through a combination of inter-industry sampling, sonar surveys, fish age determination, detailed laboratory analysis, and statistical modeling. This research will examine how factors such as pond morphology, management practices, and fish growth rates affect this issue, and whether larger, older fish play a role in spreading or resisting disease. The information gathered through this multilayered investigation will enable producers and researchers to gain a clearer understanding of this recurring challenge and take informed corrective measures.

Largemouth bass (LMB) production for the food fish market is growing in the U.S. and worldwide, but traditional earthen pond systems face challenges such as low survival, slow growth, poor feed efficiency, predation, disease, and inconsistent water quality. The split-pond system (SPS), adapted from catfish aquaculture, improves production by concentrating fish in a controlled area with efficient aeration and water circulation, leading to better oxygen levels, reduced mortality, and enhanced growth and feed conversion. This approach allows for improved management of predation, disease, and water quality, making production more profitable. In Phase I of this project, we evaluated LMB performance in commercial scale SPS versus traditional ponds while monitoring water quality, feed conversion, and fish health. In Phase II, we will compare standard SPS and modified three cell SPS designs, assessing water quality, growth, disease, mortality, feed conversion, and survival, while also examining the economic impacts of different feeding strategies and stocking densities.