Management of Finfish

• Management is a important factor for

successful aquaculture.
• Management involves knowledge of the
cultured species, habitat, seed stock and
breeding.
• Life cycle of fish

Oct-20 1
 Fish breeding
• Spawning
– Spawning is the act of obtaining eggs from the
female and sperm or milt from the male.
• In naturally most finfish are seasonal breeders
• Another fish group have “once-in-a lifetime”
spawning habit (e.g.Eel, Pacific salmon) in
which the fish spawn and then die

Oct-20 2
• Reproductive cycles controlled by hormones.

• The production and release of hormone

controlled by environment stimuli.

• In natural condition climate changes such as

day length and temperature act as a
environmental stimuli.

Oct-20 3
• In Sri Lanka, where we have hatcheries?

• Freshwater Table Fish: Dambulla

Udawalawa
Inginiyagala
Nuwaraeliya

• Freshwater Ornamental Fish: Rambadagalla

• Brackish water Fish/Shellfish: Pambala, Pitipana

Oct-20 4
 Brood stock – male and female use for breeding
(Brooders)
• Brooders should be fast growing, disease free and
sexually ripe.
• There are several indicators of ripeness.
Female
• The abdomen is rounded and soft.
• The genital opening is swollen, protruding and
reddish.
• Secondary sexual characteristics are evident.
Male
• Milt is released when the abdomen is pressed
gently.
• Secondary sexual characteristics are evident.
Oct-20 5
Factors that influence the egg quality
Many factors have been suggested as possible
determinants of the progeny quality. However only
few of them have been clearly shown to influence
the progeny quality and can be listed as follows:
1. Broodstock management
• Genotype
• Nutritional status of the broodstock
• Stress
Oct-20 6
2. Ageing processes
• In adults:
a) Time of the first spawning (puberty-first
transition from an infertile to fertile state)
b) Ageing of the brood fish (become old)
• In eggs:
a) Over ripening
b) Bacterial/Colloidal colonization of the surfaces of
the eggs
Oct-20 7
 Site selection for hatchery
• Geographical socio-political issues are understood.
• Technical consideration.
• Availability and access to markets:
- are the fish sale to local farmers
- release in a reservoir fishery or for export
to distant.
- commercial scale farmers.

Oct-20
- is the market year-round or seasonal. 8
 Suitability of site
• Suitable for pond construction e.g. Impermeable
soil.
• Close to a dependable source of perennial water in
adequate quantity for the proposed hatchery.
• Adequate quality water (pH near neutral,
Temperature 20-300C).

Oct-20 9
 Design of a Hatchery
• Design depends on the type of species & reproductive
strategies
• Different hatcheries are designed for different fish
according to;
- species to be produced
- reproductive strategies of fish: Spawning, No. of eggs,
requires a long term holding in hatchery,
seasonal/annual
- what range of activities: Up to what stage of life cycle/
market (fertilized eggs/hatchlings/fry/F.L.)
Oct-20 - intention (small/large batches) 10
 Possible ways to reduce the area of any
hatchery
• Buy immature or ripe broodstock.

• Buy donor fish or fresh pituitaries.

• Use HCG and/or preserved pituitaries (no need to
keep donors).
• Use GnRH.
• Market fertilized eggs, or hatchlings rather than
fry or fingerlings.
• Use Contract farmers for some stage of life cycle.
Oct-20 11
 Possible components of a hatchery
Broodfish ponds- to hold maturing spawners and donors
and spent breeders.
Spawning pond-Facilities to spawn broodstock or hold
fish prior to ovulation and incubate eggs
to PL .
Nursing ponds- tanks or hapas to raise PL to fry.
Rearing ponds- tanks or cages for growing fry to
fingerlings.
Ponds- tanks or cages for broodstock production.
Small earthen ponds or tanks for live food production.
Oct-20 12
 General characteristics of ponds
Broodstock pond
Should not be too big
(0.1-0.2 ha). A
rectangular shape
with a width of
between 20-30m.
Larval rearing and
advanced nursing pond
Sloped to allow total
drainage, eradication of
pests and parasites by sun
drying
Oct-20 (0.8-1m depth). 13
Nursery ponds: sometime called pre-nursing, are
generally small and shallow (0.01-0.1 ha, depth 0.5-
1.2m).

Oct-20 14
Generally:
• Ponds should have a sloping base and be
rectangular and narrow in shape to facilitate fish by
harvest by seining.
• A drainage pump at one end of the pond, or in
one corner which facilitate more complete harvest
of fish.
• Ponds can be classified by their type of
construction, their arrangement for water supply
and drainage or their position within a water
course.
Oct-20 15