Aquaculture: Fish Farming

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Aquaculture Fish Farming

• By Audrey Harmon

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There are many types of fish. Some live in
oceans. They need salt water.
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Some live in lakes and rivers. They need fresh
water.
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In Oklahoma we have no bodies of salt water but
we have plenty of fresh water lakes and rivers.

• We have more man-made lakes than any other state.
• We have over 1 million surface acres of water.
• We have 2,000 more miles of shoreline than the
  Atlantic and Gulf coasts combined.

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Most fish grow in rivers and lakes, but in some
places there are fish farms. Fish farming is
called aquaculture. Aquaculture is one of the
fastest growing segments of US agriculture.
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Channel catfish is the primary species of
farm-raised fish in the US. The grandparents of
most of the channel catfish raised in the US are
probably from Oklahoma.
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Channel catfish can be grouped in one of four
groups while at the farm.

1. Brood Fish- the fish that produce the offspring.
2. Fry- the newly hatched fish.
3. Fingerlings- young catfish.
4. Marketable Fish- fish that are about 18 months
   old and weigh between 1 and 1 ½ pounds.

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When catfish are 18 days old they are strong
enough to be transferred to outdoor ponds. These
ponds vary in size from 5-20 acres and are 4-5
feet deep.
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The young fish are fed twice a day. Their food
is made from soybeans, corn, wheat, and fish meal.
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When the catfish are ready to harvest, they are
caught in nets and placed in aerated tank trucks
for live shipment to processing plants.
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Interesting facts about channel catfish

• They do not have scales.
• Their color depends on the color of water they
  live in.
• Catfish move mostly at night.
• During the day, catfish hide.

• They need oxygen to live.
• They use gills to breathe oxygen.
• Fish that are stressed or pursued by a predator
  need more oxygen than fish at rest.
• Fish provide us with protein.