Aquaculture Africa 2024

November 19 - 22, 2024

Hammamet, Tunisia

Add To Calendar 22/11/2024 09:40:0022/11/2024 10:00:00Africa/CairoAquaculture Africa 2024AN ASSESSMENT OF BREEDING, GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF Oreochromis macrochir IN COMPARISON WITH Oreochromis niloticus REARED IN EARTHEN PONDS UNDER COOL TEMPERATUREOlivierThe World Aquaculture Societyjohnc@was.orgfalseDD/MM/YYYYanrl65yqlzh3g1q0dme13067

AN ASSESSMENT OF BREEDING, GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF Oreochromis macrochir IN COMPARISON WITH Oreochromis niloticus REARED IN EARTHEN PONDS UNDER COOL TEMPERATURE

Author 1: Watson Pasipamire, Nature to Nature Consultant, Number 2209, Kariba, Zimbabwe. Email: watson@naturetonature.co.zw

Author 2: Clementain C. Zvavahera.

 



The trial assessed breeding performance of green headed bream O. macrochir in comparison to O. niloticus during winter at Henderson Research Institute in Mazowe. The experiments were carried out from the 5th to the 28th of July 2024. Hapas measuring 2m x 2m x 1.5m were constructed using 80% shade cloth material and stocked at 3 fish per square meter. The two species were divided into three different weight cohorts and each cohort was replicated three times. Each replicate was made up of 12 fish, four males and eight females. The breeders were grouped in the following categories; 50 – 80g, 80 – 105g and 105 – 135g. The breeding ratio adopted were one male per two females. Hapas were inspected for fry at the end of the 21-days breeding cycle. It was observed that breeding did not take place in all hapas during the breeding cycle and a high number of breeders died. The first two sizes categories had the maximum number of mortalities. The failure to produce fry and a higher death could have been due to the too low temperature experienced during the breeding period. The findings of this study demonstrated that both O. Macrochir and O. Niloticus cannot breed at water temperature below 15 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the study will generate some information to the farmers which will help to choose the best fish species that that performs well in their area. The trial will need to be repeated, checking the impact of feed and other variables to the trial. If a different species that suits and covers the gap left between trout, a cold tolerant species and O. niloticus, a warm water species, productivity would be optimized in Zimbabwe.