Technological standards for rearing and maintaining carp in pond farms

150 151 152 153 154 155 160 165 166 167 168 169 for replacement juveniles, kg/ha Individual weight gain of producer carps and replacement

900 910 920 930 940 950 960 970 980 990 995 990 juveniles, g., Output of producers and replacement juveniles from ponds,

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 percentage of stocking Stocking density of producers and replacement juveniles in wintering

280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 290 291 292 ponds, centner/ha Average weight of two-year-olds, g 900 920 930 940 950 960 970 980 990 990 1000 1000 Average weight of three-year-olds, kg 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9 Average weight of four-year-olds, kg 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Total farm area, ha 302 310 320 325 330 340 350 360 370 325 280 290 Fry output per producer nest, thousand pcs. 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 Stocking into a spawning pond of 0.2 ha, nests 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 Natural productivity of nursery ponds, kg/ha 245 146 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 Output of fingerlings from nursery ponds, % of fry

70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 stocking Average individual weight of fingerlings in autumn, g. 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Stocking rate of fingerlings into a wintering pond, thousand pieces,

490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 per 1 ha. Output of yearlings from the wintering pond, percentage of fingerling

75 76 77 78 70 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 stocking Natural productivity of grow-out ponds, kg/ha 200 200 200 200 200 200 202 202 202 202 202 202 Output of two-year-olds from grow-out ponds, percentage of yearling

85 86 87 88 89 90 90 90 89 88 87 86 stocking Average individual weight of two-year-olds, g. 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 490 Natural productivity of summer brood ponds

150 151 152 153 154 155 160 165 166 167 168 169 for replacement juveniles, kg/ha Individual weight gain of producer carps and replacement

900 910 920 930 940 950 960 970 980 990 995 990 juveniles, g., Output of producers and replacement juveniles from ponds,

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 percentage of stocking Stocking rate of producers and replacement juveniles in

300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 wintering ponds, centner/ha Average weight of two-year-olds, kg 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 Average weight of three-year-olds, kg 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 Average weight of four-year-olds, kg 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3

Fish are transported very frequently; they are transported within the farm – from nursery ponds to wintering ones, from wintering to grow-out ponds, etc. Live fish are brought in from other farms – from nurseries, from full-cycle farms to grow-out farms, when stocking water bodies with new fish species, etc.

The distance over which live fish are transported can be several hundred meters (within the farm) or several thousand kilometers (for example, when stocking water bodies in the western regions of the country with fish from the Far East). The increasing demand for live fish, which is most valuable for its nutritional qualities, requires its delivery to the population throughout the year.

Live fish are transported in water and without water, using various types of transport:

a) railway – in specially equipped wagons;

b) water – in special live-fish crates (cages);

c) road – in barrels for live fish, canvas vats, in special vehicles for transporting live fish.

The most common method is transporting live fish in water. The success of this operation depends on the water quality, the quality and condition of the transported fish, the duration of transport, and its proper organization. Water quality is determined by: its temperature; the amount of suspended organic and inorganic substances; the amount of gases dissolved in water (mainly oxygen), organic and inorganic substances; and the active reaction (pH) of the water.

The condition of the fish during transport depends on the quality and volume of the water. Containers must be filled with clean, oxygenated water that does not contain harmful or toxic substances.

The optimal temperature for transporting most thermophilic fish in summer is 10–12 °C, for cold-water fish – 6–8 °C, and in the autumn-spring period – 5–6 and 3–5 °C, respectively. Fish transported at a lower water temperature consume less oxygen and release fewer metabolic products, which means they can be transported at a higher stocking density in the containers. Oxygen consumption per unit of time also depends on the species and age of the fish. Therefore, when transporting fish, an important indicator is the ratio between the mass of the fish and the volume of water.

Table 3 – Amount of water for fish transport

Transport Duration Amount of water (liters per 1 kg of fish) Carp, sazan Tench

Bream Up to 2 5 3 7 3 2 4 6 7 8 3–4 6 4 8 4 3 5 7 8 9 5–6 7 5 9 5 4 6 8 9 10 7–8 8 6 11 6 5 7 10 11 12 9–10 10 7 14 7 5 9 12 14 15 11–15 13 10 17 10 8 12 15 17 18 16–20 15 12 21 12 10 14 18 21 23 21–24 20 15 26 15 12 18 23 26 28 Over 24 25 20 32 20 15 23 28 32 35

The transport process itself must be structured correctly, taking into account the specifics of such cargo. Two hours before transport, the fish are caught, inspected for various injuries, and placed into separate containers. It is prohibited to transport injured or diseased fish!

It is also not allowed to permit sharp temperature fluctuations when changing water, which is why it is changed by gradual, metered addition. Aeration is performed by agitating the water in the container or with the help of special devices – blowers or motor pumps.

Before loading the tanker with fish, the water is brought to the required temperature. To saturate the water with oxygen before loading, the compressor is switched on for 10–15 minutes, and it must operate continuously throughout the entire transport period. It is desirable to fill the tank completely with water to prevent fish death from wave impact. At the same time, it is necessary to leave an air space 3–4 cm high for the exhaust air to escape.

En route (especially during fish transport at elevated air temperatures), the water is constantly cooled. For this, clean natural (never artificial) ice is used, which is placed in a loose container or clean burlap (gauze) above the water in the transport vessel (vat, barrel, etc.).

Water resulting from melting ice flows into the water and cools it. Ice should not be placed directly into the water, as it can injure the fish, especially when in motion. It is very important to have fewer stops during transportation. While in motion, the water is mixed and enriched with oxygen, which to a certain extent compensates for its consumption for respiration by the fish.

During stops, such mixing and oxygen enrichment do not occur, and the oxygen depletion happens very quickly. As a result, the fish may die from suffocation. Therefore, in transit, in addition to the natural oxygen enrichment of the water through mixing (especially during stops when this does not occur), forced aeration is performed – air or pure oxygen is blown through the water (using sprayers), or the water in the container is mixed by pouring it back and forth or by other available means.

If cooling the water and aerating it during transit and stops do not help and the fish show signs of distress (staying at the surface all the time, gasping for air, becoming sluggish, lying on their sides, etc.), a partial or sometimes full water change is performed. For this purpose, use only clean water that is free of odor and suspended particles, and it must be taken from open water bodies (rivers, ponds, lakes). Tap water is less suitable, unless, of course, it is not chlorinated. It is not recommended to take water from wells, as it contains almost no oxygen.

In live-fish rail cars equipped with special devices for aeration and water cooling, the duration of transport can reach several days. Such rail cars (they can be two-axle or four-axle) are equipped with two metal tanks with a capacity of approximately 15–20 m3 each. Above the tanks, along the walls of the rail car, wooden pockets for ice are installed. Each rail car can simultaneously transport 60,000 carp yearlings.

Fish should be loaded into the transport container carefully to avoid bruising or injury, but as quickly as possible so that the time between the start and end of loading is no more than an hour, or 1.5 hours at most.

When releasing fish from the transport container into a water body, the temperature difference between the water in the container and the water body should be no more than 1.5–2.0 °C for fry and 3–4 °C for yearlings and older fish.

Therefore, before releasing the fish, the temperature of the water in the container is equalized with that of the water body by gradually adding water from the water body where the fish are being stocked into the container.

The fish are released in several locations so that they can disperse throughout the water body more quickly.

It is required to transport 180,000 carp yearlings with an average weight of 36 g, 220 tench broodstock with an average mass of 0.7 kg, and 90 carp broodstock with an average mass of 5.5 kg. Duration of transport – 8 h.

Determine the number of trips for a vehicle with a load capacity of 4 tons. 1. Calculate the total mass of the carp yearlings to be transported:

0.036 × 180000 = 6480 kg. 2. Calculate the amount of water needed to transport the yearlings:

6480 × 8 = 51840 kg. 3. Calculate the total mass of the cargo to be transported:

6480 + 51840 = 58320 kg. 4. Calculate the total mass of the tench broodstock:

220 × 0.7 = 154 kg. 5. Calculate the amount of water for transporting the tench:

154 × 6 = 924 kg. 6. Calculate the total mass of the tench and water:

154 + 924 = 1078 kg. 7. Calculate the total mass of the carp broodstock:

90 × 5 = 450 kg. 8. Calculate the amount of water for transporting the carp broodstock:

450 × 6 = 2700 kg. 9. Calculate the total mass of the carp broodstock and water:

Broodstock (both tench and carp) can be transported together, while carp yearlings should be transported separately. 10. Calculate the number of trips for transporting carp yearlings

Calculate the number of trips for transporting carp broodstock

Task. Determine the number of trips for a vehicle with a load capacity of _____ tons to transport _____ thousand carp yearlings with an average mass of _____ g and _____ specimens of tench broodstock with an average mass of _____ kg. Duration of transport _____ h.

Table 4 – Pond farming indicators for determining quantity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Vehicle load capacity, t 3 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 3

Number of carp yearlings, thousand specimens 90 92 95 96 97 98 99 100 110 Average mass of carp yearlings, g 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Number of tench broodstock, specimens 80 82 85 86 88 90 92 95 96 Average mass of tench, kg 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.7 Number of carp broodstock, specimens 40 51 42 93 99 25 26 27 78 Average mass of carp broodstock, kg 5 5 6 5 5 6 5 5 5 Duration of transport, h 7 3 5 4 4 8 4 5 5

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Vehicle load capacity, t 3 3 3 3 2 2 4 5 5 Number of carp yearlings, thousand specimens 100 110 99 115 117 118 120 125 130 Average mass of carp yearlings, g 33 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Number of tench broodstock, specimens 95 96 98 99 100 105 108 110 112 Average mass of tench, kg 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.7 Number of carp broodstock, specimens 30 30 30 30 32 32 32 32 29 Average mass of carp broodstock, kg 8 8 8 8 8 5 5 6 6 Duration of transport, h 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 6 6

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Vehicle load capacity, t 3 3.5 4 5 3 3 5 6 4 Number of carp yearlings, thousand specimens 111 99 104 125 130 100 100 110 121 Average mass of carp, g 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35

Number of tench broodstock, specimens 130 99 132 140 87 92 120 122 117 Average mass of tench, kg 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.9 Number of carp broodstock, specimens 34 34 34 34 34 40 40 40 40 Average mass of carp broodstock, kg 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 Duration of transport, h 6 6 6 6 4 4 3 7 2