Impact of Minimum Dissolved Oxygen Concentration on Grow-Out Performance of Blue Catfish with Comparison to Channel Catfish

Abstract Feed intake, the feed conversion ratio (FCR), and the production of blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus and channel catfish I. punctatus were examined in 1-acre ponds maintained at either a high or low minimum dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (mean values of 4.29 and 2.54 ppm [55% and 32% air saturation], respectively). Two additional studies were conducted examining only blue catfish in 0.25-acre ponds maintained at either a high (mean values of 4.43 and 4.46 ppm [56% and 55% air saturation] in the two studies) or low (mean values of 1.41 and 1.64 ppm [18% and 20% air saturation]) minimum DO concentration. Blue and channel catfish exhibited similar feed intake (13,432 versus 13,063 lb/acre), growth (1.40 versus 1.49 lb/fish), gross production (6,662 versus 6,663 lb/acre), and net production (5,935 versus 5,813 lb/acre) in the high-DO treatments in the 1-acre ponds. Within the low-DO treatment, feed intake was not significantly different (13,555 versus 12,398 lb/acre for blue and channel catfish, ...