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Bull Minnow Aquaculture

Bull Minnow Aquaculture. Kaylee D’Aloise. Taxonomy. Scientific Name: - Fundulus grandis Common Names: -gulf Killifish -mud minnows -mudfish - bullminnow. Economic Importance. Sold as live bait Mostly used to catch flounder, redfish, and speckled trout

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Bull Minnow Aquaculture

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  1. Bull Minnow Aquaculture Kaylee D’Aloise

  2. Taxonomy • Scientific Name: -Fundulusgrandis • Common Names: -gulf Killifish -mud minnows -mudfish -bullminnow

  3. Economic Importance • Sold as live bait • Mostly used to catch flounder, redfish, and speckled trout • Prices are about $7-10/lb for wholesale and $12-20/lb for retail • Local bait dealers mostly rely on harvest of wild stock to supply market • Mostly grow experimentally still, other bait minnows are grown on much larger scales.

  4. Life Cycle and Larval Stages • Little is known about larval cycle, but salinities of 5 to 40ppt result in better larval survival than higher or lower salinities. • As adults they spawn with the tidal cycles • They can live up to 4 years old, however rarely do because of predation and harvest • Live in shallow waters of oyster bars, salt marsh pool, bayous and tidal creeks • Females usually larger than males

  5. Reproduction in Captivity • Spawn readily in captivity • Stocked in a 2:1 ratio of female to male • External fertilization • Spawn March to October but peak in March-April • Have adhesive eggs that attach to spawning mats • Water must be above 68 degrees Fahrenheit

  6. Production Methods Used • Grown successfully in ponds in several southern coastal states • Most information comes from experimental facilities • Have been grown in RAS but good growth was hard to achieve with only artificial diets • Best production method is a three-phase system • Spawing pond • Hatching pond • Grow-out pond

  7. Phase 1 – Spawning Pond • Pond stocked at 10,000 per acre • 2:1 ratio of female to male • Water needs to be 68 Degrees Fahrenheit • Spawning nets around edge of pond and suspended in water • After one week they are moved into the phase 2 pond

  8. Phase 2 – Hatching Pond • Pond must be filtered before mats put in • Treat pond for insects • 1.5 million eggs can be stocked per acre, of which you can expect 1 million fry from • Eggs hatch in 2-3 weeks • Once fish reach 900 – 1,500 per pound they are moved to phase 3 the grow-out pond

  9. Phase 3 – Grow-out Pond • The time needed to produce a certain size fish depends on the stocking density, so depending on what the market needs depends how you stock phase 3 pond • Stocking at 50,000 fish per acre produces 2.5 inch minnows in 5 weeks, while 100,000 per acre takes more than 6 weeks • Stocking around 200,000 per acre gives little growth rate and can be used for holding fish over winter • When they reach market size they are harvested by either seining or pond draining

  10. Bull minnow trap for harvest

  11. Feeds and Feeding • Bull minnows are omnivores and feed on whatever is available • Fry are fed finely ground minnow meal that is 28-32% crude protein at 5 pounds per acre per day • Phase 3 fish are fed floating feed twice daily at 10% stocked weight per day • Every week the average weigh is taken and feed adjusted, after one week it is dropped to 5% and so on

  12. Water Chemistry and Environmental Requirements in Culture • Tolerant to wide range of water qualities • Minimum salinity recommended is 3-5 ppt, any lower could affect spawning and disease resistance • High stocking rates might need aerators, a DO level generally above 4.0mg/L • Ponds should average 3 feet deep with smooth bottoms • Ponds free of aquatic vegetation

  13. Advantages and Disadvantages • Advantages • Very tolerant of water qualities • Low mortality rates • Long-lasting on the hook • Grow fast • Disadvantages • Need large number of spawning females since females produce low number of eggs (10-200 per spawn and up to 1,200 per season) • Very dependent on market demand and time of year • Still a lot to learn in aquaculture of bull minnow

  14. Sources • Auburn University Marine Extension & Research Center http://www.extension.org/mediawiki/files/2/24/Growing_Bull_Minnows_in_Alabama.pdf • Southern Regional Aquaculture Center https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/event/getFactSheet/whichfactsheet/149/ • Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station http://msucares.com/crec/aquabull.html • http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/aquaculture/baitfish-minnow.php

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