Production of largemouth bass for the food fish market using commercial split-pond systems

Largemouth bass (LMB - Micropterus salmoides) production for the foodfish market is growing inthe US.Traditionally LMB producers in the US have relied on traditional earthen ponds as theirprimary production system for culturing this species. Yearly LMB producers in the SoutheasternUS using traditional earthen ponds as the primary production unit are plagued by low survival slowgrowth poor food conversion ratio (FCR) losses to bird depredation water quality problems (i.e.low dissolved oxygen) and several disease issues. LMB producers believe these production-relatedobstacles inherent to culture in traditional earthen ponds have translated to reduced efficiency andprofitability of domestic LMB farming operations and are further inhibiting growth of thisaquaculture sector. The culture of LMB in a split-pond system (SPS) can ameliorate many of theinefficiencies documented by commercial LMB producers using traditional earthen pond systems.The proposed SPS for LMB has adapted SPS technology used by the US catfish industry to solvethe inherent limitations of low oxygen and waste treatment of traditional earthen ponds. The SPSconfines LMB to a smaller area (fish basin 15-20% of total pond area) in a pond. As a resultenergy-efficient aeration and water circulation are improved over the entire culture area. Theadvantages of the SPS for LMB production can revolutionize the production of this expanding foodfish species in the US.This project will evaluate the production performance water quality fishhealth metrics and the economic feasibility of raising LMB in SPS compared to traditional earthenponds.