FISH BREEDING, NURSING AND

TRANSPORTATION

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• The need for fish breeding

– Growing importance of culture fisheries

– To meet the initial and basic needs of fish culture,

i.e. production of young fish for stocking

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• Methods of fish breeding
– Natural

– Semi-artificial method

– Artificial methods

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 Natural breeding
• Fishes, as other living organisms, breed naturally for their
existence.
• Most of the cultured fish are river spawners and grow
well in confined water. They spawn on:
– Roots
– Bottom
– Holes
– Water column
– Stones

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• However, only few fish species have ability to breed
naturally in shallow pond environment, eg. Common
carp.

• Basic requirement for natural spawning:

– Suitable water temperature: for most warm water species lies
between 18-25o c.

– Oxygen enriched water: > 5 mg/L

– Slowly rising water level, and for some species moderate water
current

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– Suitable substrate to lay the eggs:

• weed, aquatic plants, leaves for common carp

• Pebbles, boulders for sahar

• Slightly whirling water to agitate fertilized eggs for rohu,

naini and Bhakur in natural habitat

– Presence of opposite sex

– Absence of other fishes, especially carnivorous fish

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 Semi-artificial breeding
• Decisive natural conditions are maintained in ponds for
breeding of several cultivable fish species.
• Breeding of common carp by semi-artificial method is
a common practice.
• Since the eggs of these species are adhesive type,
suitable substrates are positioned in the pond to collect
the eggs.
• Substrate known as “kakaban” is made by pine tree
branches, thatch mat, synthetic fibre or other material
fixed on a frame.

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• For spawning, the substrates are fixed about 20-30 cm
below the water surface.
• During favorable whether condition, few sets (each set
consist of 1: 1.5-2 female:male ratio) of brooders are
introduced in the pond
• A gentle flow of water is maintained to trigger the
breeders into spawning.
• Female investigate the substrate and release eggs.
• Breeders are put in the evening and spawning is over by
the next morning.

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 Artificial breeding
• Artificial breeding involves human intervention in
the process of natural propagation:
– To improve fertilization and hatching,
– Protection against enemies and unfavorable
conditions,
– Better condition for growth and survival
• Aimed at producing plenty of fish seed for culture and
stock enhancement in natural water

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Why artificial breeding for carps ?
• Most are riverine spawner, do not breed in
captivity
• Indigenous gonadotropin insufficient in
captive condition
• Require sudden flow of gonadotropin in
circulation for spawning stimulation

Artificial breeding implies that the

production of the egg through artificial
inducement (induced breeding)
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Induced Spawning
• In induced spawning, the mature parent fish are injected with spawning inducing
agents. Without these agents, Major carp will not spawn in ponds.
• The Fundamental Principle
The natural spawning major carps in rivers is controlled by certain environmental
factors. When these ecological conditions stimulate the external sensory organs,
the nerves of these external organs produce impulses that are immediately sent
via the central nervous system to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus then
secretes LRH. The pituitary gland reacts to LRH by secreting two gonadotrophic
hormones: luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). These
hormones are transmitted through blood circulation. Stimulated by LH and FSH,
the gonads are rapidly developed and mature from stage IV to stage V. After the
dissolution of the follicle cell membrane, ovulation occurs and a sex hormone is
secreted. The sex hormone acts in coordination with the gonadotrophic hormones,
arousing sexual desire in the brood fish. The fish then engage in active sexual
activities discharging eggs and milt.
The basic principle behind induced spawning comes from the biological
mechanism of natural propagation. Because the external ecological conditions in
the fish ponds cannot satisfy the reproductive requirements of the brood fish, the
fish are injected with extraneous hormones. Some extraneous hormones (e.g., fish
pituitary gland [PG] and human chorionic gonadotrophin [HCG] can take the place
of the hormones directly secreted by the pituitary gland of the parent fish and
directly stimulate the gonads. Other extraneous hormones (LRH-A) only stimulate
the hypophysis of the parent fish, accelerating the secretion of gonadotrophin and
inducing the parent fish to spawn or discharge milt.

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 Identification male and female brood
fish
Species Male Female

Scales •Rough with sandy texture • Smooth and silky

Operculum •Rough with sandy texture • Smooth and silky

Pectoral fin • Rough with sandy touch, slightly longer •Smooth and slippery, slightly
than female smaller than male

Abdomen • Round and firm and not too soft to the •Bulging out on the both sides or
tough puffy, soft and palpable

Vent • Concave, generally white in color •Convex, projecting like a small

papilla, redish or pinkish in
color

Pressure on abdomen • Milky white fluid runs out through the •Yellowish discharge or a few
vent ova may come out through14the
vent
• Process of artificial breeding:
• Selection of brooders from the brood pond
– Robust and ripe broods usually with sex ratio ♀:♂ 1:1.5-2
• Selected broods are brought to hatchery for
hypophysattion
• Weighing and acclimatization of the broods
• Inducing hormones
– Pituitary extract, LHRH-A, Ovaprim, FSH

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• Calculation of hormone dose (based on brood weight,
condition of the brood)
– PG: 3-5 mg/kg of spawners
– LHRH-A: 15-25 g/kg of spawners
– Ovaprim: 0.3-0.5 ml / kg of spawners
– Male usually receive half dose relative to female
• Total dose divided in two doses
– Preparatory dose: 10% at the beginning
– Terminal dose: 90% after 8-12 hour of preparatory dose
administration

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• Methods of injection
– Intraperitoneal injection
– Intramuscular injection

• After hormone injection, both ♀ and ♂are placed in a

spawning tanks for courtship and ovulation
• Calculation of latency period (response tome)
– Water temperature in spawning tank
– Spawner’s condition

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• Incubation of fertilized eggs
– Conical jar for heavy and non-floating eggs
– Circular hatching pool (incubator) for light and semi-floating eggs

• Loading rate: about 1 egg/ml can be loaded in incubator

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Hatchling Nursing

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Introduction
• Of all aquatic ecosystems, fertilized hatchery ponds are the
most dynamic and challenging to manage.
• A knowledge of larval environmental requirement is a basic
pre-condition for successful larvae culture technique.
• Important abiotic factors include temperature, oxygen, pH,
etc.
• Biotic factors include food and predators.

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Factors influencing larval survival and growth

A. Temperature
• 23 oc is the lower end of the optimum temperature range for
growth.
• In most of the cases optimum temperature range for growth is
25-30 oc for carps.
• In addition to increasing growth rate, raising carp at higher
water temperature protects them against Seprolegnia and
Ichthyopthirius, which are among the most dangarous and
frequently occurring diseases.

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B. Oxygen
• Minimum tolerance limit for carp larvae is 2.0 mg/L
• Optimum DO level for growth and development of carp
larvae is >5.0 mg/L
• Significant differences in growth rate could be expected at
different saturation level:

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 Pre-stocking Preparation

 Drainable
 dewatering of the pond and sundry

 Non-drainable ponds:
 may have aquatic weed: Clearance of aquatic vegetation
 may harbour unwanted fish: Eradication of predatory and weed fishes
 aquatic insects of the pond: Control of aquatic insects

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Predatory & Weed Fish Control

Bleaching powder - 35 mg/l (10 mg/l Cl-)

Bleaching powder - 17.5 mg/l (5 mg/l Cl-) +
Urea) + 5 mg/l NH3
Quick lime + Ammonium sulphate

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Liming
• Correction of acidity in soil and water
• Enhancement of organic matter decomposition &
carbon dioxide release from bottom sediments
• Raises bicarbonate content & ensures strong pH
buffer system
• Fixation of harmful organic and inorganic acids
• Counteracts poisonous effect of excess Mg, K and
Na ions
• Toxic and caustic action against bacteria & fish
parasites
• Precipitate soluble & suspended organic matter

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Fertilization in Nursery

• Groundnut/Mustard oil cake - 750 kg/ha

• Cowdung - 200 kg/ha
• TSP - 20 kg/ha (8 kg P2O5

• Basal dose : 50% (before 3 days of stocking)

• Rest : in 2 split doses

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Water supply in Nursery
• Square/rectangular pond facilitates pond
management
• Good water retention for longer period
• Good water source for filling ponds
• Ground water preferable
• Water from other sources need some form of treatment

• Water depth: 80 to 100 cm

• Water should be filled half of the desired depth 5-7
days prior to stocking with fry/larvae

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 Seed Stocking
• Mono-species culture
• Stocking time: usually in the morning
• Water temperature differences between nursery
pond and transportation bag should not exceed >2
oc

• Acclimatization: Plastic bag with fish larvae as a

whole should be placed in nursery pond for at least
30 min to acclimatize the temperature.
• Stocking of larvae should be postponed until
temperature difference remain over 3 oc.
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 Seed Stocking….

• Stocking density: No. of fish larvae stocking in per

unit area of nursery pond depends on:
• expected size of fry at harvest
• feeding strategy
• culture duration
• condition of pond (water quality,
aeration/irrigation facility, earthen/cemented tank)
• Prevailing weather condition

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 Seed Stocking….

• In general larvae stocked in duly prepared nursery

pond at density between:
• Earthen pond : 4-8 million/ha
• Concrete nursery : 6-12 million/ha

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Aquatic Insects & their control

• Water stick insect (Ranatra)

• Water measurer (Hydrometra)
• Pond skater(Gerris)
• Water boatman (Corixa)
• Back swimmer (Anisops)
• Water cricket (Velia)
• Water scorpion (Nepa)
• Diving beetle (Cybister)
• Dragon fly nymph (Odonata)
• May fly nymph (Ephemeroptera)
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 Aquatic Insects & their control

• Control Methods
• Repeated netting
• Soap-oil emulsion
• 1:9 ratio, 40-60 L/ha

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Nutrition in nursing
• Carp larvae of few mg have already utilized the
greater part of the energy stored in the yolk-sac.
• The first food is zooplankton (basically rotifers)
After 8-11 days of age the larvae switched to
copepodid naupli and copepodits
After 21 day, larvae mainly fed on cladocera and
chironomid larvae

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Food for larvae

• During the transition period between

endogenous to exogenous food, larvae are
susceptible to starvation and must find
suitable food.
The first food is zooplankton (basically rotifers)
After 8-11 days of age the larvae switched to
copepodid naupli and copepodits
After 21 day, larvae mainly fed on cladocera and
chironomid larvae

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Supplementary feeding
• Yolk sac of two eggs in custard form per 100000 larvae/day
for the first week after exogenous feeding.
• feed particle size should be < 300 µm
• Later, fry are fed a ration (composed mostly of agricultural
by-product) approximately containing 30-35% crude
protein.
• Larvae are initially fed with respective ration 4 times daily
to their biomass and gradually reduced to 10% of total live
weight.
• Feeding frequency:
• Initially 4-5 times (up to 2nd week)
• 3 times until harvest (4-5 week)
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 Seed transportation

Shipment in plastic bags under pure oxygen

Fish transport in open systems

Transport of fish in closed tanks

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Shipment in plastic bags under pure oxygen

• Shipment in plastic bags is the most widespread,

cheap and practical solution used all over the
world.
• All kinds of freshwater fish species can be
transported in plastic bag
• Some differences in technique are found in
different places: the method used in Nepal is
described below.

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• Bags 0.7–0.8 m long, with 30 cm diameter and an
inflated volume of about 35-40 L have proved to be
the best.

• For very small fish, bags with rounded bottoms are

preferred to prevent fish from becoming stuck in
corners and killed.

• The thickness of plastic used should be selected

according to the size of fish to be shipped: for
larvae 0.04–0.05 mm, fingerlings 0.06–0.08 mm,
and larger fish 0.1–0.15 mm.

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• Regardless of the size of the plastic bags used for
shipment, the contents are made up of 30% water
and fish, and 70% oxygen.
• Packing fish in plastic bags: Before the first
shipment test packing should be done.
– water of the best possible quality is poured into
the bags.
– Larvae or fry are measured by volume, while
larger fish quantity is determined either by
average weight or by counting according to their
individual size.

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– After that, air is pressed out of the bags.
– The cylinder is opened and oxygen allowed to flow until the
bag is filled.
– The upper end of the bag twisted several times to close it and
ensure overpressure in the bag.
– Final closing can be made in several ways - with rubber rings,
string, adhesive tape, by making a knot in the upper end of the
bag,

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 Guide numbers for shipment in bags

NUMBER OF FISH LARVAE (in thousands) TO BE SHIPPED IN

ONE PLASTIC BAG(10-12 L water and 20-24 L pure oxygen)
Fish species Water temperature (oc)
15-20 20-25 25-30
Duration of transport (in hours)
4 8 12 24 4 8 12 24 4 8 12 24
Common carp 150 100 75 50 100 75 50 35 75 50 40 25
Chinese carp 75 50 40 25 50 40 35 25
IMC 100 80 60 40 75 60 50 35

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