abstract
A commercial-scale, in-pond raceway system was constructed in 2007 on a commercial catfish fish farm
in west Alabama. The in-pond raceway system was installed in a 2.43-ha earthen pond with an average
depth of 1.67 m. A slow-rotating paddlewheel (1.17 revolutions per minute) installed in each raceway
produced a water velocity of 0.026 m/s and a water flow rate of 9.3 m3/min. This flow rate was equivalent
to an average water exchange for each raceway every 4.9 min (≈12×/h). Each raceway was originally
stocked with 12,000–30,000 advanced channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and hybrid catfish (I. punctatus
× Ictalurus furcatus) fingerlings weighing between 59.1 and 418.2 g to simulate a staggered stocking
and harvest production schedule. During the 2008 production season, mean survival was 83.7% across all
raceways. Growth rates ranged from 1.1 to 1.8 g/fish/day for channel catfish and from 1.6 to 2.2 g/fish/day
for hybrid catfish. The average feed conversion ratio (FCR) for channel catfish and hybrid catfish was 1.74
and 1.36, respectively (range from 1.16 to 2.11) and 49,913 kg (20,540 kg/ha) of catfish were harvested.
An additional 6365 kg (2619 kg/ha) of tilapia and paddlefish were harvested from the pond as co-cultured
species. The results indicated a high potential for efficient production of catfish with other co-cultured
species compared to traditional catfish culture practices in ponds. Design and engineering modifications
need to be addressed in the future to improve the in-pond raceway system.
© 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.