channel catfish farming begins with spawning of brood fish. Spawning begins in the spring when water temperatures increase to above 70º F. At that time, brood fish held in ponds randomly mate and the fertilized eggs are collected from spawning containers and moved to a hatchery. Eggs hatch after 5 to 8
days of incubation and fry are
reared in the hatchery for an additional 4 to 10 days. Fry are
then transferred to a nursery
pond, fed daily through the
summer, and harvested in autumn or winter as fingerlings. Fingerlings are then stocked into foodfish growout ponds, fed daily, and harvested when they reach 1 to 2 ponds. Roughly 18 to 36 months is required to produce a food-sized channel catfish from an egg. Foodfish are harvested year- around to meet the needs of
processing plants, so ponds on a
given farm usually contain fish at
various stages of growout
throughout the year.
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