We conducted concurrent feeding trials for one growing season with channel catfish in ponds in Mississippi and
Arkansas to evaluate the production and economic effects of alternative (low-cost) feeds containing 28 or 32%
protein and alternative (corn gluten feed) or traditional (porcine meat, bone and blood meal) protein sources.
Supplemental lysine was added to all diets except the 32% protein traditional diet to meet the available lysine requirement
for catfish. Higher concentrations of dicalcium phosphate were also included in the alternative diets to
meet the available phosphorus requirement for catfish. Fish were stocked in a multi-batch system and the same
diets and general management protocols were used at both sites. At harvest, there were no differences in the
total amount of feed fed, yield of market-size fish, mean weight of market-size fish, feed conversion, survival, carcass
yield, or fillet yield among dietary treatments at both sites. There were some differences in processing yield
and fillet composition, but the main diet effect was the higher yield of fingerlings fed diets with 32% protein compared
to 28% protein in the Arkansas trial. The 28% protein alternative (corn gluten feed) diet would result in the
best Year 1 cash flow because the yield of marketable fish was the same, at a lower total feed cost. However, the
lower yield of fingerlings fed 28% protein diets will weaken the farm's balance sheet and show reduced profitability.
Second-year performance and economics of understocked fish fed 28% protein diets are unknown.