Coruse Titile: Aquaculture System COURSE CODE: 4242/602 Course Incharge: Prof. Dr. Rana Hadi

CORUSE TITILE : AQUACULTURE SYSTEM
COURSE CODE : 4242/602

COURSE INCHARGE : PROF. DR. RANA HADI
Cage culture
OBJECTIVES / LEARNING OUTCOMES
 To study about cage aquaculture
 To know about the cage aquaculture
 To know about design and construction of cage
 To know about main features of cage
 To know about advantages and disadvantages of cage

INTRODUCTION
A cage has a completely rigid frame (on all sides) and a net pen has a
rigid frame only around the top. Marine cages are often called net pens,
even though they have completely rigid frames. Cage culture uses
existing water resources (ponds, rivers, estuaries, open ocean, etc.) but
confines the fish inside some type of mesh enclosure. The mesh retains
the fish, making it easier to feed, observe and harvest them. The mesh
also allows the water to pass freely between the fish and surrounding
water resource, thus maintaining good water quality and removing
wastes.
Cage culture probably originated with fishermen who used cages to

accumulate fish for market. Over time, they learned to feed the fish in
these cages to increase their size and improve their overall health. The
first cages used for culturing rather than just holding fish were probably
developed in Southeast Asia about the end of the 18th century. These
cages were constructed of wood or bamboo and the confined fish were
fed trash fish and food scraps
EXPLANATION
Cages are used to culture several types of shell fish and finfish species in
fresh, brackish and marine waters. Cages in freshwaters are used for
food fish culture and for fry to fingerling rearing.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Cage range in size from one to several hundred cubic meters and can be
any shape but rectangular, square or cylindrical shapes are typical. Cage
shape does not appear to affect production with most freshwater species.
Cage size depends on the size of the pond, the availability of aeration,
and the method of harvesting. Small cages are more easily managed
than large cages and usually provide a higher economic return per unit
volume. Cage consists of
(1) Frame: Cage frame can be constructed from wood, iron, steel.
(2) Flotation. Floating cages require a flotation device to stay at the
surface. Flotation can be provided by metal or plastic drums, sealed
PVC pipe, or styrofoam. Floats should be placed around the cage so that
it floats evenly with the lid about 30 cm out of the water.
(3) Mesh or netting, made from wire mesh or nylon netting. Plastic
netting is durable, semi-rigid, light weight and less expensive than wire
mesh. Mesh size has a significant impact on production. These mesh
sizes provide adequate open space for good water circulation through
the cage to renew the oxygen supply and remove waste.
(4) Cage cover: Cages should be equipped with covers to prevent fish
losses from jumping or bird predation. Covers are often eliminated on
large nylon cages if the top edges of the cage walls are supported 30 to
60 cm above the water surface
SITE SELECTION
Site selection is the most important part of the cage culture.Different

types of sites may be adapted to cage culture. Lakes, reservoirs, ponds,
rivers and streams can be used as potential sites provided that the water
quality is suitable and there is adequate water depth beneath the cages to
allow water movement. At least 4.5 meter should separate each cage to
optimize water quality. Locate cage in water body where the maximum
natural circulation of water presents to provide natural feed and remove
the waste away from the cage.  In a place with good water quality
where runoff is not contaminated with high levels of pesticides or large
amounts of livestock wastes
Culture species
The selection of fish species for culture should be based on:
Biological criteria, such as physiological, behavioural characteristics and

level of domestication
Marketing criteria, for example demand, price, process and production for its trade
Environmental criteria, for example: temperature, distribution and habitat for the
growth.
GOOD CULTURE PRACTICES
Stock fry or fingerlings in a cage with appropriate size for the mesh to avoid
fish escapes.
Clean the nets regularly.
Review the cage structure regularly.
Monitor health status of the fish visually and send samples to laboratory if a
problem is detected.
Adjust the quantity of feed according to consumption after monitoring

through feeding trays.
Be aware of the, salinity, pH and temperature changes of the water body

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
As with any production system, fish culture in cages has advantages

and disadvantages that should be considered carefully before choosing
it as the production model.
ADVANTAGES
Following are the advantages of cage culture when compared to the

other fish farming systems
Its installation is easy.
Flexibility of management.
Effective use of fish feeds.
Less manpower requirement.
Better control of fish population.

In emergencies it can be removed from one place to another.
Treatment of disease is much simple than that of pond culture.
It requires less investment, because it use existing water bodies, and

simple technology and swift return of investment
Controlling the unwanted reproduction of tilapia, therefore mixed sex

populations can be reared in cages.
Close observation and sampling of fish is simple and therefore only

minimum supervision is needed.
Many types of water resources can be used, including lakes,

reservoirs, ponds and rivers.
Fish handling and harvesting are very simple and helps to maintain
the non-seasonal supply of the fish
Since the cage is meshed, fish inside have less chances of being attacked
by predators.
They can be used to clean up eutrophicated waters through culture of

caged planktivorous species such as silver carp.
DISADVANTAGES
Feed must be nutritionally complete and kept fresh.
Stocked fish simply affected by the external water quality problems eg.
low oxygen levels.
Diseases are a common problem in cage culture. The crowding in cages

promotes stress and allows disease organisms spread rapidly. Also, wild
fish around the cage can transmit diseases to the caged fish.
Caged fish are unable to get the natural food of their choice, whereas it
is readily available to the free fish
During feeding a significant amounts of fish feed passes out
through the mesh, therefore, fish require feeding many times a
day.
The high fish density with the high feeding rates, often reduce
dissolved oxygen and increase ammonia concentration in and
around the cage, especially if there is no water movement through
the cage.
In public waters, cage culture faces many competing interests and

its legal status is not well defined.
It is difficult to overwinter warm-water fish in cages. There is

usually a high mortality rate because of bacterial and fungal
diseases.
REFERENCES
http://agrilife.org/fisheries2/files/2013/09/SRAC-Publication-No.-160-What-is-Cage-Cultur
e.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294087263_Cage_culture_of_freshwater_fish

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CORUSE TITILE : AQUACULTURE SYSTEM

COURSE CODE : 4242/602

 To study about cage aquaculture

 To know about the cage aquaculture

 To know about design and construction of cage

 To know about main features of cage

 To know about advantages and disadvantages of cage

Cage culture probably originated with fishermen who used cages to

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Site selection is the most important part of the cage culture.Different

The selection of fish species for culture should be based on:

Biological criteria, such as physiological, behavioural characteristics and

GOOD CULTURE PRACTICES

Clean the nets regularly.

Review the cage structure regularly.

Adjust the quantity of feed according to consumption after monitoring

Be aware of the, salinity, pH and temperature changes of the water body

As with any production system, fish culture in cages has advantages

Following are the advantages of cage culture when compared to the

Its installation is easy.

Effective use of fish feeds.

Less manpower requirement.

Better control of fish population.

Treatment of disease is much simple than that of pond culture.

It requires less investment, because it use existing water bodies, and

Controlling the unwanted reproduction of tilapia, therefore mixed sex

Close observation and sampling of fish is simple and therefore only

Many types of water resources can be used, including lakes,

They can be used to clean up eutrophicated waters through culture of

Feed must be nutritionally complete and kept fresh.

Diseases are a common problem in cage culture. The crowding in cages

In public waters, cage culture faces many competing interests and

It is difficult to overwinter warm-water fish in cages. There is

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