Environmental Assessment of Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus Farming in Alabama

An environmental assessment was made of Alabama channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus farming which is concentrated in the west‐central region of the state. There are about 10,000 ha of production ponds with 10.7% of the area for fry and fingerlings and 89.3% for food fish. Food fish production was about 40,800 tons in 1997. Watershed ponds filled by rainfall and runoff make up 76% of total pond area. Water levels in many of these ponds are maintained in dry weather with well water. The other ponds are embankment ponds supplied by well water. Harvest is primarily by seine‐through procedures and ponds are not drained frequently. The main points related to Alabama catfish farming and environment issues are as follows: 1) catfish farming in Alabama is conservative of water, and excluding storm overflow, about two pond volumes are intentionally discharged from each pond in 15 yr; 2) overflow from ponds following rains occurs mostly in winter and early spring when pond water quality is good and stream discharge volume is high; 3) total suspended solids concentrations in pond effluents were high, and the main sources of total suspended solids were erosion of embankments, pond bottoms, and discharge ditches; 4) concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in effluents were not high, but annual effluent loads of these two nutrients were greater than for typical row crops in Alabama; 5) ground water use by the industry is about 86,000 m³/d, but seepage from ponds returns water to aquifers; 6) there is little use of medicated feeds; 7) copper sulfate is used to control blue‐green algae and off‐flavor in ponds, but copper is rapidly lost from pond water; 8) although sodium chloride is applied to ponds to control nitrite toxicity, stream or ground water salinization has not resulted from this practice; 9) fertilizers are applied two or three times annually to fry and fingerling ponds and occasionally to grow‐out ponds; 10) hydrated lime is applied occasionally at 50 to 100 kg/ha but this does not cause high pH in pond waters or effluents; 11) accumulated sediment removed from pond bottoms is used to repair embankments and not discarded outside ponds; 12) sampling above and below catfish pond outfalls on eight streams revealed few differences in stream water quality; 13) electricity used for pumping water and mechanical aeration is only 0.90 kW h/kg of production; 14) each metric ton of fish meal used in feeds yields about 10 tons of dressed catfish. Reduction in effluent volume through water reuse and effluent treatment in settling basins or wetlands does not appear feasible on most farms. However, some management practices are recommended for reducing the volume and improving the quality of channel catfish pond effluents.     

Effect of Water Exchange and Mechanical Aeration on Grow‐out of the Amazon River Prawn in Ponds

Exchange and aeration of pond water are common practices in semi‐intensive freshwater prawn culture, but there is lack of scientifically based information on the results. We evaluated the effects of water flow through the ponds and mechanical aeration in semi‐intensive cultures of Macrobrachium amazonicum. A total of 40 juveniles/m² were stocked for 4 mo in 12 earthen ponds. Four randomly assigned treatments were applied: no aeration + no water exchange (NN), diurnal aeration + no water exchange (DA), nocturnal aeration + no water exchange (NA), and continuous water flow (CF). Temperature, pH, total suspended solids, and soluble orthophosphate in the water column did not differ among treatments. Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in ponds with nocturnal aeration were significantly higher than in other treatments. The concentration of inorganic nitrogen was significantly higher in the CF treatment, whereas organic nitrogen was higher in treatments NN, DA, and NA. This suggests that primary production is higher in static ponds. Thermal stratification started at 0900 h, and the maximum difference between surface and bottom temperature varied from 1.5 (CF) to 2.8 C (NN). The difference between DO levels in the surface and bottom water of the ponds began to appear at 0800 h and varied from 0.50 (CF) to 5.23 mg/L (NN). Diurnal aeration and high continuous water flow were efficient in disrupting the stratification. No significant difference was found for survival, mean weight, apparent feed conversion rate, and productivity among treatments. Thus, disrupting water stratification, aerating ponds at night, or exchanging the pond water are ineffective in Amazon River prawn farming in semi‐intensive systems, at least for stocking densities lower than 40 individuals/m². About 1000 kg of Amazon River prawn can be produced in static ponds with no aeration in approximately 4 mo. This management strategy saves water and energy and reduces production costs .     

Water Temperature in Inland,Low-Salinity Shrimp Ponds in Alabama

Water temperature in eight ponds and air temperatures were monitored at 2-h intervals during the 2010 growing season at an inland, low-salinity shrimp farm in Alabama. There was a high correlation (P < 0.01) between mean daily air and water temperatures; pond water usually averaged 3° to 4°C warmer than air. Monthly mean water temperatures among eight ponds differed by 3.40°C in May and by 2.83°C in September, but there was less than 1°C difference among ponds in June, July, and August. Differences in temperature among ponds were not related to pond water surface:volume ratio, but in July and September there was a negative correlation (P < 0.05) with increasing aeration rate. Negative correlations (P < 0.05) between average water temperature over the entire culture period and survival and production of Pacific white shrimp, Litopeneaus vannamei, possibly resulted from variation in crop duration and were not causal. Nevertheless, differences in water temperature among ponds in May and September were great enough to have possibly caused differential shrimp survival and production among ponds.     

Water budgets for fish ponds in the dry tropics

Water budgets were calculated for embankment fish ponds located in the dry tropics. Two 5-month studies were conducted at Comayagua, Honduras. Daily pond evaporation averaged 0·55 ± 0·22 and 0·64 ± 0·17 cm during studies 1 and 2, respectively. Pond evaporation was 14·5% greater during study 2. Significantly greater pond evaporation was measured during the 3 driest months compared to the 3 rainiest months. Mean daily seepage ranged from 0·11 to 0·43 cm and from 0·06 to 0·60 cm during studies 1 and 2, respectively. Total rainfall during study 1 exceeded that during study 2 by 43%. Regulated inflow water was required every month to replace water losses to pond evaporation and seepage. Pond evaporation accounted for 70% of total water loss during both studies, while seepage accounted for the remaining water loss. Rain accounted for 45·5 and 21·8% of gains during studies 1 and 2, respectively. Regulated inflow water accounted for 52·8 and 77·9% of the respective gains.     

Split Ponds Effectively Overwinter Golden Shiners

Baitfish producers have expressed interest in adopting the split‐pond production system. However, confining fish to 20% of the pond area in split‐pond systems effectively quintuples fish density within the culture unit as compared with densities in open ponds. Winter conditions are known to be relatively more stressful on smaller fish, and high densities within split‐pond culture units could increase losses. A 139‐d study was conducted during the winter to compare the production of golden shiners, Notemigonus crysoleucas, in traditional earthen ponds and split ponds at two densities. Golden shiners were stocked at 646 kg/ha or 1292 kg/ha (ca. 370,500 or 741,000 fish/ha, respectively) into 12, 0.04‐ha, netted earthen ponds (six split ponds and six traditional). Feeding rate, nightly aeration hours, and daily circulation hours were reduced when water temperature decreased. At harvest, net yields were significantly lower in the split ponds as compared with traditional ponds at each density (53 and 113 kg/ha less in the low‐ and high‐density split‐pond treatments, respectively). Estimated survival was high (>87%) and did not differ among treatments. Results showed that, although net yield was reduced, small baitfish could be successfully overwintered in split‐pond culture units in preparation for the spring crappie market.     

Influence of variation in water temperature on survival,growth and yield of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei in inland ponds for low‐salinity culture

There is considerable interest in the culture of whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in inland low‐salinity water in Alabama and other states in the Sunbelt region of the US. However, the growing season is truncated as compared with tropical or subtropical areas where this species is typically cultured, and temperature is thought to be a major factor influencing shrimp production in the US. This study, conducted at Greene Prairie Aquafarm located in west‐central Alabama, considered water temperature patterns on a shrimp farm in different ponds and different years; and sought possible effects of bottom water temperature in ponds on variation in shrimp survival, growth and production. Water temperature at 1.2 m depth in 22 ponds and air temperature were monitored at 1‐hr intervals during the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 growing seasons. Records of stocking rates, survival rates and production were provided by the farm owner. Correlation analysis and linear mixed model analysis of variance were used. Results showed that hourly water temperatures differed among ponds. The range of water temperature in each pond explained 41% of the variance in average final weight of shrimp harvested from each pond. In conclusion, the results suggest that variation in water temperature patterns has considerable influence on shrimp growth and survival in ponds.     

Factors Affecting Metabolism of Commercial Channel Catfish Ponds as Indicated by Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Measurement1

Continuous dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were analyzed to evaluate the rates of pond metabolic processes related to productivity and respiration in three commercial catfish ponds in northwest Mississippi. Multiple regression models were constructed to assess the relative importance of various forcing functions on indices of net primary productivity (NPP) and whole pond respiration (WPR), duration of automated aeration, and DO concentration below various threshold values. Water temperature, solar radiation, wind run, cumulative feed, and lagged values of these parameters were considered as forcing functions. Generally, NPP and WPR were most strongly affected by water temperature and only weakly related to solar radiation. The duration of nightly aeration was also strongly related to water temperature, although 10-d cumulative feed was an important predictor in one pond. The best predictors of duration of DO below certain threshold values were NPP, WPR and wind run, the importance of which varied depending upon the pond and the threshold value considered. Change in feeding rate from one day to the next was inversely related to feeding rate on the previous day. The results of this analysis suggest that NPP and WPR rates, and the duration of required nightly aeration in commercial catfish ponds are controlled by factors not amenable to practical management control.     

养殖池塘增氧机制与装备性能比较研究

水产养殖过程中,池塘生态系统可分为自成熟期和人工维持期。在养殖容量提高的情况下,养殖生物呼吸需氧量在不断增加,缺氧条件下有机物分解成有害物质,影响养殖生产。维持池塘生态系统稳定的主要工程机制为:通过上下水层交换、平衡营养元素等方法,强化光合作用,提高营养物质转化规模,提升初级生产力;形成生态增氧为主、机械增氧为辅的高效增氧机制。以中国养殖池塘生态系统为研究对象,分析探讨养殖池塘生态机制、水体溶氧理论、增氧机作用机理、不同类型增氧机的机械性能等,提出了大宗淡水鱼混养池塘及几种典型单养池塘增氧机配置方式,从而为池塘养殖系统增氧机的配置提供技术参考。     

Water and nutrient budgets of ponds in integrated agriculture–aquaculture systems in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

A participatory on-farm study analysed water and nutrient budgets of six low and four high water-exchange ponds of integrated agriculture–aquaculture (IAA) farms in the Mekong delta. Water, nitrogen (N), organic carbon (OC) and phosphorus (P) flows through the ponds were monitored, and data on fish production and nutrient accumulation in sediments were collected during a fish culture cycle. Results showed that, on average, only 5–6% of total N, OC or P inputs introduced into ponds were recovered in the harvested fish. About 29% N, 81% OC and 51% P accumulated in the sediments. The remaining fractions were lost through pond water discharges into adjacent canals. Fish yields and nutrient accumulation rates in the sediments increased with increasing food inputs applied to the pond at the cost of increased nutrient discharges. High water-exchange ponds received two to three times more on-farm nutrients (N, OC and P) while requiring nine times more water and discharging 10–14 times more nutrients than the low water-exchange ponds. Water and nutrient flows between the pond and the other IAA-farm components need to be considered when optimizing productivity and profitability from IAA systems.     

Comparison of bacterial communities in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus culture ponds of an industrial ecological purification recirculating aquaculture system

The industrial aquaculture pond system has gradually replaced the use of traditional earthen pond, as it causes less pollution and is more economical. In this study, an industrial ecological purification recirculating aquaculture system consisting of the water source pond, high‐density culture ponds, a deposit pond, and ecological purification ponds for channel catfish cultivation was established. Twelve water samples from different ponds were sequenced, and the bacterial communities were analysed. The abundances of Cyanobacteria and Merismopedia varied in different functional ponds of the system. The water quality was stable after two months of cultivation at 1.89 ± 0.22 mg/L total nitrogen, 1.1 ± 0.08 mg/L NH₄‐N and 0.43 ± 0.1 mg/L total phosphorus. The fish weight increased in a nearly linear manner, reaching 237.63 ± 23.8 per fish at day 120. An analysis of the environmental parameters, water quality and fish weight suggested that the system had an effective water purification process. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that the community was affected at the genus and phylum levels by different environmental parameters. We identified several dominant beneficial bacteria with nutrient removal abilities. Overall, our results demonstrated that the ecological purification recirculating aquaculture system had notable effects on water quality improvement and promoted changes in bacterial populations. These results provide important information on the microbial ecology of pond industrial eco‐aquaculture systems.     

Engineering considerations for water circulation in crawfish ponds with paddlewheel aerators

Engineering considerations for paddlewheel aeration in vegetated shallow water ponds for the production of procambarid crawfish is necessary to ensure cost-effective application. Three experimental ponds (approximately 2 ha each) were planted with rice in August as forage for the resident pond population of red swamp crawfish, Procambarus clarkii, and flooded in October. Two 2.2 kW (3 hp), single-phase electric motor (110 V_ac) paddlewheel aerators were placed in each pond. The aerator rotors were 160-cm long and 95-cm in diameter. The aerator rotor had 36 paddles with half the paddles 27.3-cm long and half 34.9-cm long. Rotor speed was set at 83 rpm and operated at three paddle submergence settings: 7.6, 12.7, and 17.8 cm below the water surface. Over a 20-week period between November and April, channel velocity, head difference, and aerator amperage was measured for both one and two aerators in operation in each pond. Results indicated that circulation of oxygenated water from the aerators can be accomplished as efficiently with a single aerator set at a lower paddle depth (7.6-cm) compared to operating two aerators set at a greater paddle depth (12.7 or 17.8-cm). However, based on the apparent efficiency of the aerators and the calculated channel roughness coefficients values obtained from the channel velocities, paddlewheel aerators are an inefficient option for circulating the pond water especially when rice foliage dominants the total vegetative biomass of the pond.     

Aquaculture economics research in Asia: Proceedings of a workshop held in Singapore, 2–5 June 1981: IDRC,Ottawa, Canada, 1982. 128 pp., ISBN 639-3-003-(5). Available in the U.S.A. from Unipub,New York,NY, $15.00; in other countries from IDRC,Ottawa, Canada, $12.00

Propeller-aspirator-pump aerators of 0.38, 1.5, and 2.24 kW transferred averages of 1.73 to 1.91 kg oxygen/kW · h in standardized oxygen transfer tests (tap water; 20°C; 0 mg/l dissolved oxygen) conducted in a shallow basin (1.04 m of water depth). In comparison tests, spray-type surface aerators transferred 1.34 to 1.41 kg oxygen/kW · h and a diffused-air system transferred 1.08 kW · h. The water-mixing capabilities of aerators were estimated from the time to completely mix salt (NaCl) throughout the volumes of ponds, and from the time required to spread a dye over surfaces of ponds. The propeller-aspirator-pump was effective in mixing pond water. A 1.5-kW propeller-aspirator-pump spread dye over a 0.4-ha pond in 32 min and mixed salt throughout 3000 m³ of water in 90 min. A larger spray-type surface aerator (2.24 kW) required 1.5 h to spread dye and 1.75 h to mix salt in the same pond.     

Design and development of a geothermal temperature control system for broodstock management of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus

A control system was designed to raise and maintain water temperatures within 0.03-ha earthen ponds to a range conducive for spawning (24–30 °C) channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Heating was done during February 2001 to April 2001, when temperatures would have otherwise prohibited spawning (<24 °C). Temperature was increased from 10 °C (ambient) by 2 °C per day, and maintained at 27 °C, by the addition of geothermally warmed water (36 °C). The control system substantially increased the controllability and precision of heating ponds compared to manual operation. Systems were designed to control sets of four ponds. In designing this control system, consideration of biological constraints was essential. Reproduction in channel catfish is most strongly influenced by temperature. Because cold fronts are common during the winter and early spring (January–March), it was essential to ensure that pond temperatures did not fall below the range for spawning. Constraints on the heating rate and temperature variability to maintain fish health and stimulate spawning behavior were considered. Components of the control system included temperature measurement devices (type-T thermocouples), a central electronic control unit, electronic switches and electrically actuated ball valves. In response to the temperature sensed by each thermocouple, the controller sent a message to close or open the valve. When the valve was opened, warm water was added to the pond to increase the average pond temperature. Hardware and algorithm design and initial system testing were the major components of this project. The final design incorporated information on relevant biological parameters and safety features including peak pond temperature, independent aeration and water pressure control mechanisms. Initial results indicate successful control of this biological system, and ongoing studies suggest similar mechanisms may be used for additional control objectives. In particular, this system could be used to vary pond temperatures to study biological responses and to cool ponds by addition of well water during summer months.     

Limnology of Macrobrachium amazonicum grow‐out ponds subject to high inflow of nutrient‐rich water and different stocking and harvest management

We evaluated the water characteristics and particle sedimentation in Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller 1862) grow‐out ponds supplied with a high inflow of nutrient‐rich water. Prawns were subject to different stocking and harvesting strategies: upper‐graded juveniles, lower‐graded juveniles, non‐graded juveniles+selective harvesting and traditional farming (non‐grading juveniles and total harvest only). Dissolved oxygen, afternoon N‐ammonia and N‐nitrate and soluble orthophosphate were lower in the ponds in comparison with inflow water through the rearing cycle. Ponds stocked with the upper population fraction of graded prawns showed higher turbidity, total suspended solids and total Kjeldahl nitrogen than the remaining treatments. An increase in the chemical oxygen demand:biochemical oxygen demand ratio from inlet (4.9) to pond (7.1–8.0) waters indicated a non‐readily biodegradable fraction enhancement in ponds. The sedimentation mean rate ranged from 0.08 to 0.16 mm day^?1 and sediment contained >80% of organic matter. The major factors affecting pond ecosystem dynamic were the organic load (due to primary production and feed addition) and bioturbation caused by stocking larger animals. Data suggest that M. amazonicum grow‐out in ponds subjected to a high inflow of nutrient‐rich water produce changes in the water properties, huge accumulation of organic sediment at the pond bottom and non‐readily biodegradable material in the water column. However, the water quality remains suitable for aquaculture purposes. Therefore, nutrient‐rich waters, when available, may represent a source of unpaid nutrients, which may be incorporated into economically valued biomass if managed properly.     

Management of stocking density,pond size,starting time of aeration,and duration of cultivation for intensive commercial production of shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

A dynamic stock model was used for quantification of shrimp production and analysis of alternative management schemes of stocking density, pond size, starting time of aeration, and duration of cultivation for intensive commercial production of the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Databases from Mexican farms were used to calibrate the model. Multiple linear regression models were employed to establish relationships between parameters of the stock model and the management variables. Water quality variables (dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity) were complementarily analyzed. The final weight of shrimp was directly related to duration of cultivation and dissolved oxygen, and inversely related to stocking density, pond size, and salinity. There were inverse relationships between the growth coefficient and temperature and dissolved oxygen and between mortality rate and temperature. Dissolved oxygen was significantly related to starting time of aeration. Simple linear regression and an equivalence test indicated that biomass at harvest (after 13 weeks in winter, and 20 weeks in summer) was adequately predicted by using the stock model and the multiple regression models. The highest production (winter, 6900 kg ha⁻¹; summer, 12,600 kg ha⁻¹) were predicted using 60 postlarvae m⁻², small ponds (2 ha), and starting aeration at the first week of cultivation; while the lowest yields (winter, 2600 kg ha⁻¹; summer, 6000 kg ha⁻¹) were obtained using 40 postlarvae m⁻², large ponds (8 ha), and delaying the start of aeration until the fifth week of cultivation. The lowest production was 38% (winter) and 48% (summer) of the highest yield. Using small ponds could be particularly important during winter cycles to increase production, while stocking density and starting time of aeration contributed less. In contrast, pond size played a minor role during summer cycles and stocking density was the most sensitive variable.     

Paddlewheel Effects on Shrimp Growth, Production and Crop Value in Commercial Earthen Ponds

The effects of continuous paddlewheel operation on shrimp growth, yield and crop value were studied in Hawaii. Six 0.4 ha earthen ponds were stocked with Penaeus vannamei at 25 postlarvae/m². Three ponds served as controls with no mechanical aeration or mixing. Each of the other three ponds had two 1 hp paddlewheel aerators (3.7 kw/ha) running continuously throughout the five month trial (29 April-8 October 1986). All other management factors were applied uniformly.
Daily water temperature and use were significantly different between treatments. Paddlewheel ponds had lower water temperatures (28.3 vs. 28.5 C) and lower water use (0.8% exchange per day vs. 2.2% exchange per day) than control ponds.
Faster shrimp growth in paddlewheel ponds was evident in week 8. At week 14, mean shrimp body weights and growth rates were significantly greater. Shrimp at harvest were 21.2 ± 2.6 g in paddlewheel ponds versus 15.3 ± 2.6 g in control ponds. Mean shrimp production was 2,852 ± 222 kg/ha in paddlewheel ponds compared to only 2,061 ± 558 kg/ha in controls. Mean crop value was $13,719 per pond per crop for paddlewheel ponds versus $9,111 for control ponds. Hence, paddlewheels afforded an increase of 42% in net crop value after subtracting purchase and operating costs.     

Economics of Intensively Aerated Catfish Ponds

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.     

Supplementary feeding with thermally treated cereals in common carp (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyprinus carpio</Emphasis> L.) pond farming and its effects on water quality,nutrient budget and zooplankton and zoobenthos assemblages

To test the influence of supplementary feeding with thermally treated cereals on nutrient budget and environmental and biotic variables, three different treatments were applied in four experimental ponds: two with thermally treated cereals, one with raw cereal and a control with no supplementary feeding. Water parameters, zooplankton and zoobenthos were analysed from May to October over two consecutive years (2012 and 2013). In addition, nitrogen and phosphorus budgets were calculated as the difference between input (feed, stocked fish) and output (harvested fish). The results showed that type of supplementary feed had no influence on water quality, aside from water transparency. Ponds with added thermally treated cereal had significantly (P < 0.05) lower turbidity and suspended solids (and increased Secchi depth) compared with control. While no significant differences were observed in zooplankton assemblages between the experimental ponds and the control, macrozoobenthos density and biomass were considerably lower in the control pond. High seasonal fluctuations resulted in significant differences in density in 2012 only. The use of thermally treated cereal led to improved carp growth and nutrient budget, with an increase in carp yield and nutrient removal per hectare of pond surface. This result is a win–win situation with 10 % lower feed conversion ratio, increased profits and lower environmental impact.     

Modeling industry-wide sediment oxygen demand and estimation of the contribution of sediment to total respiration in commercial channel catfish ponds

Data collected from 45 commercial channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, ponds were used to develop empirical models predicting sediment oxygen demand (SOD). Seven acceptable models were combined with a Monte-Carlo sampling distribution to predict industry-wide sediment oxygen demand (SOD_i). The SOD_i values obtained from the best equation were used in simulations to assess the effect of diurnally varying water column dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations on SOD and the effect of pond water depth on the contribution of SOD to overall pond respiration. Estimated SOD_i ranged from 62 to 962 mg m⁻² h⁻¹, with a mean of 478 mg m⁻² h⁻¹. There was a 95% probability of mean SOD_i being ≥700 mg m⁻² h⁻¹. The effects of diurnal variation in DO concentration in the water column on expression of SOD was modeled by combining maximum SOD_i, an empirical relationship between DO and SOD, and simulated pond DO concentrations. At DO concentrations >15 mg l⁻¹, diel SOD in catfish ponds exceeded 20 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹. But when average diel DO was <4 mg l⁻¹ and the range of DO concentration was 6–8 mg l⁻¹, SOD decreased to 13 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹ because DO availability limited the full expression of potential SOD. Respiration totals for sediment (average SOD_i), plankton, and fish respiration were calculated for pond water depths ranging from 0.25 to 4 m. Although whole-pond respiration increases as pond depth increases, the proportion of total respiration represented by sediment decreased from 48 to 10% by increasing water depth over this range. The results of these studies show that SOD is a major component of total pond respiration and that certain management practices can affect the impact of SOD on pond oxygen budgets. Mixing ponds during daylight hours, either mechanically or by orienting ponds for maximum wind fetch, will increase oxygen supply to sediments, thereby allowing maximum expression of SOD and maximum mineralization of sediment organic matter. Given a mixed condition caused by wind or other artificial means, the construction of deeper ponds increases the total mass of DO available for all respiration, causing nighttime DO concentrations to decline at a slower rate, reducing the need for supplemental aeration. Because a pond’s water volume decreases over time from sediment accumulation, annual aeration costs will increase with pond age. Constructing ponds with greater initial depth will therefore reduce long-term cost of aeration, allow more flexible management of pond water budget, and reduce the long-term expense associated with pond reconstruction.     

Disinfection, Microbial Community Establishment and Shrimp Production in a Prototype Biosecure Pond

Plankton community establishment and shrimp production in a prototype biosecure pond were compared to three control ponds. The biosecure pond was enclosed and intake water was disinfected, while control ponds were neither enclosed nor disinfected. All ponds were managed with no water exchange and stocked with 100 postlarvae/m², Litopenaeus vannamei . Residual oxidant concentrations in the biosecure pond dropped rapidly after cessation of chlorinated water addition. This was followed by a sharp increase in water column bacterial abundance, after which the pond was fertilized and inoculated with cultured Chaetocerous gracilis . After crash of the initial C. gracilis bloom in the biosecure pond, this species was not observed again. Following initial large fluctuations in biosecure pond bacterial abundance, phytoplankton biomass, oxygen consumption and nitrification rates, these parameters appeared to stabilize at levels similar to the control ponds. Early season compositional differences in phytoplankton, zooplankton, and bacterial communities were observed. No differences were seen in late-season phytoplankton and bacteria; however, zooplankton biomass tended to be lower in the biosecure pond than in the control ponds throughout the season. Shrimp production in all ponds was greater than 9,000 kg/ha. Production in the single biosecure pond was not a significant outlier compared to production in the triplicate control ponds.