NWAC - Physiology and Behavior

PHYSIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR

Support Personnel:
Susan Bailey, Research Associate I

The study of energy use is important because catfish, like other organisms, have limited amounts of energy available to fuel all their daily activities. The laws of thermodynamics mandate that energy used in one aspect of metabolism will not be available to fuel other metabolic needs. Activities like mounting metabolic responses to environmental stresses, fighting diseases, and/or fast sprint type swimming require large expenditures of energy which will not be available for fish growth. Therefore, identifying and reducing the most serious, manageable stressors in the daily lives of farm-raised-catfish could have a positive influence on producer profits by maximizing energy inputs into growth instead of other activities or processes.

Individual differences in the swimming performance of fish have inheritable components which might be important in establishing the superiority of closely related species, families, or lines of fish. Therefore, a series swim-tunnel respirometers studies have been initiated to establish the aerobic and anaerobic swimming capacity of channel, hybrid blue x channel, and blue catfish fingerlings. Preliminary results indicate that channel catfish are the best endurance swimmers; hybrid catfish the best sprinters; and blue catfish the poorest swimmers at all tested speeds (30 to 120 cm/sec). The results of these studies will be useful to researchers interested in breeding a superior catfish for commercial production.

Studies have been initiated to examine the physiology of stress and recovery in channel catfish fingerlings. The results of these studies will serve as a base-line for future studies designed to examine the sub-lethal effects of various diseases and toxins on juvenile and adult catfish. Many standard production practices used by catfish producers are stressful to catfish and often result in increases in levels of disease, reduced growth, and/or death in cultured catfish. Determining the metabolic factors that contribute to these stresses and finding cost-effective ways to reduce them would be beneficial to producers.

Sounds are important components of the mating behavior of many species of fish. However, there are no published reports concerning the use of sound by channel catfish in pre-spawning mate and nest selection, spawning, or post-spawning activities. Additionally, little is known concerning the impact of ambient sounds produced by normal farm activity on the spawning success of channel catfish brooders in open pond environments. Studies have been initiated to monitor the ambient and fish-produced sounds in brood ponds. The results of these studies could lead to improved brood pond management and increased fry production.

The size and complexity of modern catfish farms make it difficult to track and manage people, equipment, and data in real time. A study is underway to develop a wireless networking infrastructure with specialized hardware and software products that will enable custom-designed and Atraditional@ instruments to become networked and web-enabled. A working model of a highly automated, robust, and secure wireless information infrastructure that is localized and scalable is currently being tested. It is designed to serve as a bridge between different farm equipment, sensors, and the farmer. Sensors and equipment can be seamlessly added or removed from the system. Data sent from various sensors on the farm are immediately recognized and sent to the appropriate files for processing. The user-friendly system will give the farmer immediate web-based access to any information in the system including a screen indicating the location, working status, and programmed schedule of all system sensors. Additionally, he will have the capability to turn sensors or equipment on and off remotely. Every effort is being made to make the system as cost-effective to build as possible so it can be widely available for use by interested producers.