Cultivable Fishes

Fish Culture
• On the basis of special methods and technique,
fish culture are divided into 5 types-

1) Mono Culture

2) Poly Culture or Composite Fish Culture

3) Mono Sex Culture

4) Cage Culture

5) Integrated Fish Culture

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Base of Cultivable Fishes

• It should have a fast growth rate.

• It should be able to feed on natural and artificial foods.

• It should be have resistant to diseases.

• It should be a prolific breeder and easy to breed in ponds.

• It should not be predaceous nature.

• It should be able to survive under temporary bad water conditions.

• The fish should be tasteful .

• It should be have high nutritive value.

• Species that can be culture together without competing with each other.

• It is able to highly preferable for maximum utilization of water.

 Cultivable Fish Species
• Cultivable fish species can be categorized of three types
1) Indigenous or the native fresh water fishes.
Example.- Major Carps

2) Salt water fishes that are acclimatized to fresh water.

Example - Chanos and Mullets

3) Exotic fish which is imported from outside of countery.
Example - Chinese carp, Tilapia
 Cultivable Species of Fishes
•Mostly major carps are use to cultivable fish in
Pakistan.
• The important cultivable species are Labeo rohita,
Catla catla, Cirrhinus mrigala,
and some exotic major carps species are
Cyprinus carpio, Ctenopharyngodon idella,
Hypothalmichthys molitrix, Tilapia mossambica
• And some cat fish species are Wallago attu
• Some other species are Channa sps.,
 Catla catla
• The species has the fastest rate of growth among Indian major carps.
• In good nursery ponds, hatchlings of catla stocked at the rate of
1000000 to 1250000 per hectare, grow to a length of 20-25 mm in
15 days.
Catla attains maturity when about 2 years old.
• In 5 kg female, a total number of 4000000 ova were
found which gives the fecundity to be 80 eggs/g body
weights.
 Labeo rohita
• Rohu also grows very fast but is relatively little slower than Catla.
They become mature in 1 year.

• The hatchings of Rohu when stocked at the rate of 1000000 to

12,50,000/ha grow to a length of 25-30 mm in 15 days, and the survival rate is 50%.

In Rohu the average ret of egg is 1258/gbw.

• The weight of Rohu is (33-45cms) 900 g in one year, 2-3 kg in
second year and 5-6 kg in third year.
 Cirrhinus mrigala
• This species is widely cultured in Pakistan along with other carps.
• It grows fast and fry when stocked at 10 lack to 12.5 lack/ha grow to
25-30 mm in length in 15 days.
• Both the sexes mature when they are two years old.
• For induced breeding ,they are mature in one year.
Hypopthalmichthys molitrix
• The silver carp is a native of China, and is widely cultivated in S.E. Asian
countries.
• It was introduced into Pakistan in 1959.
• Hatchings when stocked at 10-12.5 lack/ha, grow to size of 25-30 mm in 15
days.
• In China this species grows to150,900, 1800 and 4200 g, at the end of first,
second, third and fourth years respectively.
• Both the sexes of this species are reported to have become mature when 20
months old.
• Silver carp become mature for induce breeding in only 11 months.
 Ctenopharyngodon idella
• The grass carp is an exotic fish introduced recently in Pak.
• It has a fast growth rate.
• Fry stocked at 10-12.5 lacks/ha attain a length 22-27 mm in 15 days.
• Grass carps grow to 12 cm in three months, and attained a length of
73-86 cm when 3 years old.
• Males become mature when 2 years old; the females are reported to
mature a year later.
 Big Head (Aristichthy nobilis)

• The Bighead carp is native to large rivers and associated floodplain

lakes of eastern Asia.
• The range extends from southern China north to the Amur River
system but introduced widely outside from the native range.
• It has a large, scale-less head, a large mouth.
• The eyes are located very low on the head.
• The adult fish is grayish above and paler below.
• The dorsal, anal and caudal fins are grayish, speckled with minute
black spots.
• The pectoral and pelvic fins are whitish.
 Cyprinus carpio
• The common carp is native to Europe and Asia, and has been introduced to every part of the
world except the poles.
• Wild stocks are only present naturally in rivers draining to the Black, Caspian and Aral Sea.
• The species becomes sexually mature at different. times depending on the climatic
conditions.
• Body elongated and somewhat compressed.
• Lips thick. Two pairs of barbels at angle of mouth, shorter ones on the upper lip.
• Dorsal fin base long with 17-22 branched rays and a strong
• Anal fin with 6-7 soft rays; posterior edge of 3rd dorsal and anal fin spines with sharp spinules.
• Lateral line with 32 to 38 scales.
• Colour variable, wild carp are brownish-green on the back and upper sides, shading to golden
yellow ventrally.
• The fins are dusky, ventrally with a reddish tinge.
• Golden carp are bred for ornamental purposes
 Nile Tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)
• In exotic fish which is native of Egypt but introduced in
various countries for fish culture in saline waters.
• The genetically improved farmed Tilapia (GIFT) strain is
well known worldwide because of its high performance
• The fish body have vertical stripes throughout the depth of
caudal fin.
• The margin of caudal fin gray or black.
 Basa (Pungasius sp.)
• Pangasius bocourti is a species of catfish in the family Pangasiidae.
• Basa are native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins in Mainland Southeast Asia.
• These fish are important food fish with an international market.
• They are often labelled in North America and Australia as "basa fish", "swai",or
"bocourti“
• The body of the basa is stout and heavy.
• The rounded head is broader than it is long, with the blunt snout having a white
band on its muzzle.
• This species grows to a maximum length of 120 centimetres (47 in).
• Basa fish feed on plants.
• They spawn at the onset of flood season and the young are first seen in June,
averaging about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) by mid-June.
 African Cat Fish (Clarias gariepinus)
• Clarias gariepinus or African sharptooth catfish is a species of catfish of the family
Clariidae, the airbreathing catfishes.
• They are found throughout Africa and the Middle East, and live in freshwater lakes,
rivers, and swamps, as well as human-made habitats, such as oxidation ponds or
even urban sewage systems.
• The African sharp tooth catfish was introduced in the early 1980s in Brazil,
Vietnam, Indonesia, and India.
• It is a large, eel-like fish, usually of dark gray or black coloration on the back, fading
to a white belly.
• C. gariepinus has an average adult length of 1–1.5 m (3 ft 3 in–4 ft 11 in
• It reaches a maximum length of 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) TL and can weigh up to 60 kg (130
lb).
 African Cat Fish (Clarias gariepinus)
• These fish have slender bodies, flat bony heads, and broad, terminal mouths with
four pairs of barbels.
• They also have large accessory breathing organs composed of modified gill arches.
Only the pectoral fins have spine
 Wallago attu
• Wallago attu is a species of catfish in the family Siluridae.
• It is locally known as malli and commonly called Wallago.
• It can reach maximum 2.4 m (8 feet) total length.
• This south Asian fish is found from India,
• Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia etc.
• It is not good for culture because they consuming more time.
• It is mature in minimum 2 years for breeding.
 Channa sps.
• Channa is a genus of the Channidae family of snakehead fish.
• Channa has a wide natural distribution extending from whole
Pakistan.
• They are one of the most common staple food fish in Thailand,
Cambodia, Vietnam and other South East Asian countries where
they are extensively cultured.
• It is mainly carnivorous but some omnivorous fish.
• Apart from their importance as a food fish, snakeheads are also
consumed as a therapeutic for wound healing as well as reducing
post-operative pain and discomfort, and collected for the
international aquarium pet trade.
• Apart from their importance as a food fish, snakeheads are also
consumed as a therapeutic for wound healing as well as reducing
post-operative pain and discomfort, and collected for the
international aquarium pet trade.
 C. stratus C. maculata

C. punctatus C. gachua

C. marulius C. orientalis

C. melasoma C. argus