Catfish Farming
The basic procedures for catfish farming are the same whether you are growing a few for your kitchen table or a million for wholesale distribution. Because the process is so scalable, catfish farms can be found in every state. All it takes is a suitable site for a pond, daily feeding, and preparation for emergencies and marketing.
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Markets for Your Product
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Catfish farming is a business. Like any business, the first step is making sure there is a market for your finished product. Get assurances from local restaurants, grocery stores or distributors before you invest your time and money in starting up. Other catfish farms in the region may have already cornered the restaurant and grocery market. Distributors may only deal with high volume producers. On harvest day, trucks must be there to deliver your catfish to their destination. You don't want to be stuck with hundreds of pounds of fish with nowhere to go.
Catfish Farming Ponds
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The first-time catfish farmer should start with one 3 to 5 acre pond. Once you gain experience, you can expand to a larger pond or multiple ponds. The ideal pond for catfish farming is symmetrical--round, oval or rectangular. The bottom of the pond should be smooth and free from obstructions, such as tree stumps or rocks. The reason for this is that the fish will be harvested using large nets. It will be almost impossible to net all of your fish if the pond is irregularly shaped or contains obstructions to snag your nets.
Stocking the Pond
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Stock the catfish farm to about 1,500 fingerlings per acre.
Catfish do well with about 1,500 fish per acre. In cooler climates, catfish fingerlings should be stocked in March or April. In warmer climates, or where year-round farming is an option, fingerlings should be stocked in October, right after harvesting the previous year's crop of catfish. In areas where pond ice doesn't freeze the whole pond, year-round catfish farming will result in 33 percent larger fish at harvest time. Since catfish are cold-blooded animals, they can survive extreme cold with little to no food.
Feeding the Catfish
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In the winter, the fingerlings should be fed in the same sunny spot once every third day. You will have to estimate the amount to feed. For every 100 pounds of fish you have, feed one pound of a sinking catfish feed. In the spring, after the pond temperature reaches 65 degrees Fahrenheit, switch to a floating commercial pelletized catfish feed. Give the fish however much they can eat within thirty minutes. Feed in several different places around the pond or use an automatic feeder which will spread the feed over a wide area.
Aerating to Pond
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Harvesting and feeding are easiest with a rectangular pond
Oxygen levels in a pond will cycle throughout the day. Oxygen levels are at their highest in the late afternoon and are at their lowest at dawn. Oxygen is consumed by the fish and is depleted by rotting vegetation and uneaten food. If the oxygen level is allowed to fall below 3 parts-per-million for more than a few hours, a massive fish kill is likely. The catfish farmer must have a system in place to quickly replace depleted oxygen. Electric operated equipment is the easiest and offers the quickest response. Aerating stones, agitators and paddle wheels may be turned on and then turned off when a desirable level is restored.
Harvesting the Catfish
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When the fish have been eating thirty pounds of feed per acre for two weeks, they are large enough to harvest. Nets are strung across one end and are pulled to the other end. This forces all of the catfish into a small area where they are removed with handheld nets. What you do with them after they are removed depends upon the customer. They may be placed into an ice slurry immediately, or they may be gutted first. If they are to be delivered alive, they must be quickly moved to live-haul trucks.
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