Success Stories In Asian Aquaculture - Library - Network of ...

182 J. Liu and Z. Lisilver carp (3,750 individual/ha), bighead carp (450–600 individuals/ha), grass carp(750 individuals/ha), and common carp (150 individuals/ha). The production mayreach 10,000–13,000 kg ha −1 with tilapia accounting for 70–80%. The other practiceis to culture domestic carps as the main species and tilapia as the auxiliary species. Inthis case, the total production may reach 13,000 kg ha −1 with 7,000–9,000 tilapiafingerlings/ha stocked. The production of tilapia may reach over 2,250 kg ha −1 .The above developments have proceeded almost hand in hand with developmentsin the processing and market developments, aspects which were presentedearlier. Importantly, China continues to maintain its market dominance of the culturedcommodities dealt with at present.9.5 General ConsiderationsThe exotic species that are successfully dealt with presently are all tropical and/orsubtropical species, with considerable market potential. The successes witnessedhave resulted from suitable adaptation of each to culture conditions in China,backed up by effective research and dissemination of findings. In all instances, theauthorities have taken appropriate action to popularize the species with culture andmarket potential, local and/or foreignFrom the experiences of successful production of some exotic species in China,we learnt that studies related to local practices are very important. Biology andaquaculture techniques of the introduced species need to be studied thoroughlyunder local conditions even though some information of the species is available inplaces of origin. For example, in respect of channel catfish culture, the facilitiesused in the United States were more sophisticated and not directly adaptable toChinese rural conditions. Simple facilities created in China for spawning and hatchingare also equally efficient, widely practiced, and easy to adopt, resulting in largescale productionThe use of local ingredients in diets also helped to reduce feed costs. This is thekey to good economic results for farmers. A wide range of feed ingredients is availablein China, and as such, producing suitable diet for imported species is notnecessarily a constraint, provided it is backed up by research. In remote rural areas,farmers could use local ingredients to feed their fish and produce high value fishlike in the case of aquaculture of channel catfish, crayfish, tilapia, and prawns, andimprove the economic returns.The success of an exotic species in production must have a wide market accessibility.When channel catfish was first introduced into Geheyan Reservoir,Changyang County, Hubei Province for cage culture in the 1990s, the market wasvery limited. The officers in the county invested heavily on personnel resources tobring about public awareness of the new commodity. Now the fish is called“Qingjiang Fish,” which has become a famous brand in Hubei Province andbeyond. Geheyan Reservoir has also become the biggest base for channel catfishproduction. Now the internal market of channel catfish is also developed.