Dedicated To The Tribal Aquaculture Program

March 1997 - Volume 19

Topics Of Interest:

Leech Lake's Winnibigoshish Fish and Wildlife Pond Complex

Stripping, Fertilizing and Incubating Walleye Eggs with Big Redd Incubators

Status of Aquaculture Drugs

Fish Marketing Concepts

Hatchery Tips

Leech Lake'sWinnibigoshish Fish and Wildlife Pond Complex - The Greatest!

By John Ringle - Leech Lake Reservation, Director of Fish and Wildlife, Rt. 3, Box100, Cass Lake, MN 56633, 218-335-8240

In 1949, the headline on the Sunday Magazine section of the MinneapolisTribune proclaimed, "They're the Greatest!" Now, nearly 50 years later, theLeech Lake Reservation Fisheries Department hopes the Winnibigoshish Fish and WildlifePond Complex can once again make the same proclamation. After nearly five years ofplanning and construction, Leech Lake has completed its second growing season using thesetotally rehabilitated and modernized fish rearing ponds. Continued development andoperation of the wildlife and interpretive areas of the project are ongoing. The projecthas been and continues to be a real learning process for everyone involved, from engineersand project managers through the hatchery workers and biologists working there on a dailybasis.

In 1988 the Leech Lake Fisheries Department wanted to expand their fishrearing capabilities. Construction of outdoor rearing ponds were explored as an option tomeet this goal. At the same time we began preparing a proposal to the 1989 LegislativeCommission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR) for funding to develop these ponds. We looked attwo potential sites near our operating indoor hatchery in Cass Lake. One site was on U.S.Forest Service land on Pike Bay and the other was a tribal allotment on Steamboat Lake.Neither site was the prime site for construction based on water availability, soilcharacteristics and optimum economic investment, however we continued our quest, seekingfunding and developing plans. The LCMR could sense our unsureness and backed off fundingthis proposal. Still committed to the project a year later, yet looking for a better plan,we came across the possibility that we could renovate an existing site in need oftremendous work but that could potentially be a dynamic project.

The fish ponds below the dam on Lake Winnibigoshish (Winni) were ownedand operated by the State of Minnesota from 1949 until about 1970 for rearing walleyefingerlings and baitfish for muskie production. There were four engineered and constructedponds. Three ponds were twenty acres each in size and one was 14 acres in size. Inaddition, a six acre level parcel was adjacent to one of the ponds and was to be usedsomeday for a hatchery building. Water for the ponds was obtained from above the Winni Damand flowed by gravity to the four ponds. The ponds were fully manageable but took a verylong time to fill and an even longer time to drain. A twenty acre pond was just too largeto be effectively managed for maximum economical game fish production. In the early1970's, the ponds' use was discontinued for fish production. They were managedintermittently thereafter for wildlife, especially waterfowl and furbearers.

In 1991, knowing the ponds had been idle for over 20 years, we lookedinto the possibility of rehabilitating these ponds for tribal use. At this point thingsreally got interesting! We found that the property had been acquired by the State ofMinnesota in 1949 through a condemnation procedure of land parcels from a variety ofsources. Parcels condemned were previously owned by the War Department (Army Corps ofEngineers for dam purposes), the U.S. Forest Service and a tribally allotted parcel heldin trust by the Dept. of Interior. Additionally there were about 83 acres at the sitealready owned by the State of Minnesota taken under Swamp Act of the 1930's. In thecondemnation proceedings, however, there was a reverter clause that would allow the landto go back to its original owners if the site was abandoned for fish rearing. Seeing thatthe water distribution house and the outside pond bank perimeter were still functional,and with some modifications could be made operational, we saw an opportunity to repair andmodify this site for tribal use.

After 20 years of non-use, we felt a case might be made to invoke thereverter clause, and inquired with the State Attorney General's office and the MinnesotaDept. of Natural Resources. The DNR gave us the go ahead as they had no plans for fishrearing and the AG's office assisted in triggering the reverter clause. This took nearlytwo years to complete, but in the meantime, we obtained a conditional use project in theevent we could obtain funding for rehabilitation. State legislation was also passed thatallowed the state of Minnesota to sell the 83 acres to Leech Lake for an appraised price.The War Department parcel of 38 acres that went back to the U.S. Government when thereverter was triggered was then surplussed and will be eventually placed in trust and heldby the Department of the Interior, BIA, for the Leech Lake Band.

In 1991, we again applied to the LCMR for $250,000.00 in funding. Atthe same time, after developing a full scale business and operational plan, we received acommitment for a match from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) and the BIABusiness Development Division for $289,000.00. We were extremely fortunate to get the LCMRfunding and then the ANA/BIA match followed. At about the same time we received additionalcommitments from the U.S. Forest Service for 80,000 yards of free fill material for pondlevees from a nearby pit. We also received a donation from Great Lakes Gas Transmission,Inc. for $60,000.00 worth of 36 inch used steel pipe, plus welding and transportation, forour main drain. We were ready to begin!

In 1992, we had contracted with Fish Pro, Inc., a premier aquacultureengineering firm, to develop site plans and conceptual drawings. We were now able tocontract with them to do blueprints and actual working plans and put them together a bidpackage to be able to find a competitive contractor. In 1993, the bid was awarded to AspenConstruction of Walker, MN and work began in earnest that fall. The initial excavation andlevee construction was completed to subdivide half of one of the existing 20 acre pondsinto 10 one acre ponds. A drainage swale was also built to treat pond discharge before itseventual return to the Mississippi River. The other 60 acres of ponds were left forpotential use as a waterfowl management area.

In the spring of 1994, work began to install 2400 feet of fill line,600 feet of 24 inch drain line, 3 manholes, and valves and cement work needed to constructindividual harvest basins in each pond. To complete the ponds, a clayliner was placed 1foot thick on the mineral soil banks. The connection to the existing water supply was madeand the main drain line, 110 feet of 36 inch steel pipe, was welded and laid in place.Slide gates were installed on each catch basin and pond banks were seeded in the fall.

The spring of 1995 found us nearly ready to attempt our first rearingseason. After the last few water connections were made for the fresh water supplies toeach harvest basin, the ponds were tilled and filled in early May. We used 1000 lbs. ofalfalfa meal and 100 lbs of brewer's yeast in each pond for fertilization throughout thegrowing season. We stocked walleye fry in three ponds in mid May, sucker fry in six pondsin June as part of a growing experiment with the Natural Resources Institute of Duluth andone pond with Lake Whitefish fingerlings. We had good production in all ponds with theproduction of 17,000 walleye fingerlings about 2.5 inches long in late July, over 750 lbs.of sucker minnows in September, and several hundred large whitefish fingerlings up to 7inches. The whitefish were fed a formulated diet in the pond in late September. Theproduction was good but several problems were identified and attempts to remedy them weremade in September 1996.

Steel stairways and catwalks were installed on each catch basin in thefall of 1995 and spring of 1996. Aquatic vegetation was a problem our first growing seasonso we purchased a boat mounted bar-cutter to cut emergent and submergent vegetation inponds. Undesirable species were entering the pond during the filling stage either as eggsor fry. We constructed mesh screens for the water inlets to prevent this from happeningduring our second season. During the late summer of 1995, we received Army Corps ofEngineers' Section 1135 funding for $60,000.00 to match Circle of Flight funding. Thefunding was used to put drainage controls on the wildlife portion of the project as wellas a screened lake inlet to provide for a cleaner water supply for both the 10 acres offish rearing ponds and the 64 acres of managed waterfowl production ponds. The mostimportant addition to the fishponds in 1996 was the installation of a pond airlift systemfor aeration and circulation of nutrients.

With the aid of the Alexandria Technical College Aquaculture class, wedesigned and constructed an airlift system to supply each pond. Each pond has two airliftpumps, each capable of circulating 50 to 100 GPM. The air is supplied by two Fujiregenerative blowers, each one powering the airlifts in 5 ponds. Over 1200 feet of 3 inchPVC pipe was buried in the pond levees by our staff using a rented trencher. This 3 inchpipe carries the air from the blowers to each set of airlifts. The system worked well thispast season, however final installation was not completed until late July. The story ofour airlift system can be told in another MTAN article. Weekly pond inspections andadditions of fresh supplemental water were made and pond banks were mowed on a routinebasis.

This past summer (1996), we reared walleyes in three ponds, tullibee(lake herring, Coregonus artedii) and muskellunge were used in two ponds, and suckers (asmuskie forage) in five ponds. The muskie fingerlings were stocked in two of the suckerponds. Good production was exhibited in the muskie ponds as we harvested 12 inch plus fishin late September and produced a total of 687 muskies in two ponds. The suckers were allused as muskie forage. The tullibee were reared on pellets and sold as bait in September.Our walleyes exhibited extremely slow growth because of the late, cool spring. In earlyAugust they were only 1 1/4 inches in length. We were also able to use Circle of Flightfunding to construct some pools and nesting islands within the perimeter of the waterfowlmanagement portion of the complex.

We used the waterfowl ponds in 1995 and 1996 to produce several broodsof mallards, blue wing teal, a brood of goldeneyes, and 2 broods of Canada geese. Severalwood duck houses were active along the ponds and produced broods as well. Controlled burnswere conducted both seasons to remove the fuel buildup and undesirable vegetation. Anadjacent 5 acre field was planted with native grasses with some success.

Plans for 1997 include the installation of a 12 foot high viewingplatform and an interpretive trail describing the ecology of the associated wetlands.

Using an innovative approach of leveraging State funding with federaldollars and donations and private corporation contributions in addition to a great deal offinancial and programmatic support from our Tribal Council, we are nearing completion ofthe 5 year plus project. The Leech Lake Reservation Division of Resources Management nowfeels that the Winnibigoshish Fish and Wildlife Pond Complex is once again truly "TheGreatest"!!

Stripping,Fertilizing, and Incubating Walleye Eggs with Big Redd Incubators

By: Elizabeth Greiff, St. Croix Tribal, Natural Resources Department, P.O. Box 287,Hertel, WI 54845, 715-349-2195

Introduction

The St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin raise and stock fingerlingwalleyes to maintain populations in lakes harvested by Tribal members. Staff of theTribe's Natural Resources Department have collected, spawned, and incubated walleye eggsfor five years. Wild broodstock are captured with fyke nets during the walleye spawningseason, the eggs and sperm are stripped, and the dry method used for fertilization.Fertilized eggs are incubated in Big Redd Incubators (Big Redd Incubators, Inc., Frazee,MN). After hatching, the fry are stocked in a natural pond. Harvest begins 4 to 5-wk laterwhen the fingerlings are about 2 in (5 cm) long.

Spawning Wild Broodfish

Spawn collection is often coordinated with the Wisconsin Department ofNatural Resources (WDNR) survey of adult walleye populations. The WDNR sets fyke nets inlakes in mid-April after the ice has thawed. The net crew notifies us when the peak ofspawning approaches. We collect the ripe fish after the WDNR crew has taken their surveydata. Because our 3-person crew collects the spawn and monitors the incubators, we try tostrip all the spawn we need in 1 d.

Broodstock are separated by sex, then placed in separate 72-gal (272 L)steel basins in a jon boat. The water in the basins is not aerated, but is changedfrequently. Spawning equipment in the boat includes a wooden spawning bench 15 x 36 x 16in (38 x 91 x 41 cm) (width x length x height) with a circular hole cut in one end of thetop to secure the 5-qt (5 L) plastic pan used for fertilization. The diameter of the holeallows the lip of the pan to rest on the bench surface. Two round pans are used to holdthe spawn, one steel 1.5-gal (5.7 L) bucket to clean the fertilized eggs, and one 18-gal(68 L) square steel basin for claying the eggs.

Before collecting the gametes, the small bucket and one pan are halffilled with lake water. The second pan is placed dry in the hole cut for it in thespawning bench. Milt from one male is stripped into the dry pan in the spawning bench. Forstripping both males and females, the fish's head is held between the spawn collector'supper arm and side so that the arm from the elbow down remains free. With the other hand,the spawn collector grasps the fish just above the tail. The fish is held belly-down withits back arched over the basin. Milt or eggs are expressed by pressing the fish's abdomenfirmly with the free hand beginning forward of the vent and working back toward it.Stripping is stopped if the milt (or eggs when stripping females) does not flow freely orif blood is seen. Care is also taken to prevent fish slime, water, or other matter fromentering the pan. The male is released into the lake after stripping once, however, largemales may be retained and stripped twice if few males are collected. A female is thenstripped into the pan containing milt. If less than 2-3 cups (473-710 mL) of eggs arecollected, a second female is stripped. After collecting the eggs, milt from another maleis stripped over the eggs. Fertilization must be accomplished within about 2 min ofstripping.

The milt and eggs are mixed by placing the fingers of one hand firmlyagainst the bottom of the pan and stirring rapidly without lifting or touching the sidesof the pan. After mixing to a homogenous color, water from the second pan is added to thespawn and this mixture of water, eggs, and milt is poured from pan to pan 3-4 times. Tominimize egg clumping or sticking to the pans, the pans are shaken while the fertilizedeggs are poured. At this point fertilization is complete.

The eggs are washed free of mucus and semen by pouring them into thesmall bucket (1.5 gal, 15.7 L) previously half filled with water. The eggs are swirled toprevent sticking by twisting the bucket. While swirling, half the water is decanted andreplaced with fresh lake water. Rinsing is continued until the water in the bucket isclear.

The rinsed eggs are poured into a clay suspension and mixed thoroughly.The clay suspension is prepared in the square 18-gal (68 L) basin half filled with lakewater. A handful of wet bentonite is added and stirred into suspension until the waterfeels slippery. Too much clay is better than not enough. The clay sticks to the eggs andprevents the eggs from clumping.

We repeat the procedure until we have stripped all available fish orhave fertilized 10-20 qt of eggs from 15-30 female walleye.

The clay/egg basin is placed in shallow water in shade and the eggs arehardened in the clay suspension. The suspension is mixed periodically. The eggs take about2 h to harden at 48-50F (8.9-10C). Eggs are tested for hardness by squeezing them betweenthe thumb and forefinger. If they do not break, they are hard. When the eggs havehardened, they are poured into a 12 x 4 in (30.5 x 10.2 cm) deep window screen box and allthe clay is rinsed off with lake water. Clean eggs are placed into an 18-gal (68-L)plastic ice-chest in a layer no more than 4 in (10 cm) deep with most of the balance ofthe ice-chest filled with lake water. It usually takes about 8 hr between the firstfertilization and arrival at the incubators.

Incubation

We used two Big Redd Incubators to hatch our walleye eggs. Eachincubator can hold 11 qts (9.9 L) of walleye eggs. Because the incubators are portable,they can be set up where the best water quality is found and dismantled for cleaning andstorage after the eggs have hatched. Since 1990, a temporary hatchery has been set up inthe facilities of the Tribal Construction Company. The water source is a well. In 1990,water samples were taken before the water entered the incubator. In 1994, water wassampled directly from the incubators prior to egg introduction. The different samplinglocations account for the differences in water quality.

The incubators are connected separately to a water line with clear 3/16in ID (4.8 mm) plastic tubing, and after passage thorough the incubators, water isdischarged to a floor drain. Compressed air is generated with an AC, 115-V, 60-Hz air pumpthat supplies each incubator independently. A DC air compressor and a 12-V marinedeep-cycle battery is available in case of electrical failure.

The basic incubator structure is a 9 x 12 x 30 in (23 cm x 30 cm x 76cm) clear plastic holding tank. The tank holds 11 clear plastic removable tubes mounted ona base plate through which water circulates. The tubes are 2.5 x 2.5 x 30 in (6.4 x 6.4 x76.2 cm). Each of the 11 tubes can hold a quart or liter of eggs, but we do not use thetwo interior tubes because the eggs cannot be observed from the side. The tank'sstandpipe, with three water level settings, piezometer, and airlift assembly fits into thetwelfth space. The airlift assembly circulates and oxygenates the water with perforatedplastic tubing connected to the air line at the bottom of the tank.

Before eggs are placed in the incubators, they are gently rolledthrough a screen box with 5/32 in (4.0 mm) mesh to break up any remaining clumps. At thesame time, the eggs are gradually brought to the same temperature as the incubator waterby the addition of warm or cool water. The WDNR V-trough method and walleye egg countchart, modeled after the Von Bayer method but specific for walleye, is used to determinethe number of eggs/qt. We measure about 0.95qt (900-mL) of eggs into each tube.

Once the eggs are in the incubators, we monitor air flow, waterexchange rate, piezometer head level, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, and pH every 4h, until the fry are removed. Carbon dioxide is measured once a day. We do not monitorammonia because traces of formalin used to treat the eggs for fungus interfere with theperformance of the ammonia test kit. Differences between incubators occur because eachincubator operates as a separate unit, with individual water, air intake lines, andcontrols.

Air flow is determined by measuring the head of water in the piezometerabove the tank's water level. Air flow varies with the stage of incubation.

Eggs are loaded with a piezometer reading of 0.47 in (12 mm), incubatedprior to hatching at 0.98 in (25 mm), and hatched out at 1.69 in (43 mm). Fry are held inthe tank with a piezometer reading of 1.69 in (43 mm). During the fungicide treatments,the air flow is adjusted so that the piezometer reads 0.98 in (25 mm). Air flow iscontrolled by a valve in the air supply tube. Each tank also has an airstone, controlledby an auxiliary air supply valve, to increase dissolved oxygen if necessary.

The water exchange rate is measured at the tank's outlet and iscontrolled with two valves per incubator in the water supply tube. We use themanufacturer's water flow recommendation of 500 mL/min as a minimum and manipulate thewater flow primarily to control temperature. In the small room where the incubators areheld, altering room temperature also controls tank temperature. The incubators areequipped with aquarium heaters but they are fragile, and have broken inside the tank. Theyalso crowd the tank. Temperature is more effectively controlled by manipulating water flowand room temperature.

Dissolved oxygen is measured with a two-probe electric meter.Temperature and pH are measured with a battery-operated meter in each tank. Both dissolvedoxygen and pH meters operate continuously. Carbon dioxide is measured by titration.

The hardest water quality parameters to maintain within desirablelimits have been dissolved oxygen and temperature. Dissolved oxygen drops significantlyduring the hatch and when fry are in the incubators. When DO drops to 5 ppm, we use theair compressor to increase oxygen levels. Pure oxygen could be used for aeration, but thishas not been necessary. Water flow and room temperature are adjusted as needed, usuallyseveral times a day, to maintain the desired water temperature. We have never had problemsmaintaining other water quality parameters.

Two to three d after loading the eggs into the incubators, both tanksare treated for 15 min with 4,500 ppm formalin to control fungus. We have usedconcentrations of 2,200-3,300 ppm in previous years, but they were ineffective. After the15 min treatment, the water is drained from the tanks to the lowest standpipe level byremoving the upper section of the standpipe. The tank is flushed for 10 min, with bothmain and auxiliary water valves fully open. After flushing, the standpipe is replaced andthe tank is refilled. The fungicide treatment is repeated every 48 h until the fry areremoved from the incubators. Most unfertilized eggs that move to the top of the egg masscan be siphoned off. The volume of dead eggs is measured.

During 1990-1994, the average operating water temperature was 51.3F(10.7C). At that temperature, the eggs eye-up in 9 d (173.7 TU, where TU= temperature - 32F x days) and begin to hatch in 13-14 d (251-277 TU). We induce complete hatch 3 d afterhatching begins by pouring 129-145F (54-63C) tap water into the airlift assembly at aboutI qt/min (0.9 L/min) until the tank water temperature has increased by 37F (3C). Theincreased temperature is maintained for 20 min by the addition of more hot water. After 20min, the water temperature is allowed to return to the normal operating range of 50-53F(10-11.7C). The rapid hatching that follows generates foam where aeration agitates thewater. The incubators are equipped with flexible tubing that fits over the airliftassembly to withdraw foam. Hatching is complete by day 18. We keep the fry in theincubators four more days. The number of fry is determined by subtracting the volume ofsiphoned dead eggs from the initial volume of eggs placed into each tube.

The average hatch rate is 78%, and has ranged from 73-87%. Thefertilization rate cannot be deduced from the hatch rate because eggs lost to fungus areincluded in the volume of dead eggs. However, in 1994, when there was almost no fungalgrowth during incubation, the mean hatch rate was 83%. In 1992, when all fertilized eggsdied, probably due to temperature shock, the WDNR gave us eyed eggs to hatch. The averagehatch rate, starting with eyed eggs, was 96%. Extrapolating from this observation suggeststhat loss to fungus infection ranges from 4-5%.

We do not transport fry in the incubators although Big Redd literaturesays it's possible. We tried it once, using a DC air pump, but were unable to maintain airor water flow through the tanks. We transport eggs in boxed, 10-gal (38 L) plastic bagshalf filled with water that is supersaturated with oxygen.

Cleaning the Big Redd Incubators is time consuming because they have tobe completely dismantled. All incubator parts and other equipment that comes into contactwith eggs or fry must be sterilized with an overnight soak in a 20-ppm solution of 70%active chlorine. Everything is soaked a second night in household rust remover (sodiumhydrosulfite and bisulfite). The chlorine is removed in a third overnight soak of sodiumthiosulfate solution four times more concentrated than the chlorine bath. Finally, everypiece is washed with dish soap and water and thoroughly rinsed. The incubators are storedat room temperature in their original boxes.

Big Redd Incubator operation is most labor intensive during and afterthe hatch because the egg shells must be removed manually, and fry that are removed withthem must be sorted and returned to the tank. If the eggshells are not removed, they willimpede circulation and eventually cause the incubators to overflow.

Siphoning dead eggs is also time consuming. The incubators must bemonitored regularly to adjust water and air flow and to measure water quality. Althoughthey require considerable attention, they can be set up anywhere where there is suitablewater and a drain. The incubators and associated equipment require very little space. BigRedd Incubators have been indispensable in establishing St. Croix's walleye cultureprogram.

Status of Aquaculture Drugs

PRESENTED AT THE NORTH CENTRAL AND MINNESOTA ANNUAL AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE FEBRUARY17-18, 1995, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

By: Terry Ott, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, La Crosse Fish Health Center, LaCrosse, WI, 608-783-8444

Rapid expansion of the aquaculture industry and increased humanconsumption of aquatic animals has generated a safety concern in this country. Both theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)have begun to enforce regulations that govern the use of how antibiotics and chemicals areused in aquaculture; especially when they are used on food fish. The economic problem withthis enforcement is that aquaculture programs lack properly approved chemotherapeutants toeliminate or reduce disease-related mortality and improve production efficiency andproduct quality. The lack of approved drugs in aquaculture is due to their highregistration cost, and general lack of interest by the pharmaceutical industry indeveloping aquaculture products.

Before a chemotherapeutant can be registered for use in aquaculture, itmust be studied according to regulations established by FDA. Registration requires thecollection of data on human safety, efficacy against target organisms, toxicity tonontarget organisms, residues in food animals, and effects on the environment. The bottomline is that there is no profitability in developing registered drugs for aquaculture usewhen there exists a potentially small market.

Only three chemotherapeutants and one anesthetic are currently approvedand available for use in this country. These are formalin, oxytetracycline, Romet-30 andMS-222; respectively.

Formalin has been used since 1909 in the United Statesin the production of recreational, commercial, and experimental fishes. It is approved asa therapeutant and prophylactic for the control of external parasites on salmon, trout,catfish, largemouth bass, and bluegill; and for the control of fungi on salmon, trout andesocid eggs.

Oxytetracycline (Terramycin) has proven to be a highlyeffective antibiotic in the treatment of a wide variety of susceptible gram-positive andgram-negative bacterial diseases. It is approved as a feed additive for use only incatfish and salmon.

Romet-30, another antibiotic, is approved for controlof enteric septicemia caused by Edwardsiella ictaluri in catfish and furunculosisAeromonas salmonicida in trout and salmon.

MS-222 (Finquel) is approved for the temporaryimmobilization of fish, amphibians, and other aquatic, cold-blooded animals. It has longbeen recognized as a valuable tool for the proper handling of fish during manual spawning,weighing, measuring, marking, transport, and research.

Several prominent aquaculture groups requested and obtained rulingsfrom FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) regarding the regulatory status of keyaquaculture chemicals. Petitions for those chemotherapeutants that the aquaculture groupsfelt were effective, safe, and had data available were submitted to CVM for acceptance intheir low regulatory priority (LRP) program.

CVM did not object to the use of those drugs classified as LRP's ifthey were used under the following conditions;

• Administered at the prescribed levels, according to good management practices of an appropriate grade for use on food animals.
  
• The drug was not likely to cause an adverse effect on the environment.

CVM recognized the importance of providing provisions to allow the useof certain unapproved drugs until the aquaculture industry had a chance to develop datafor full approvals.

Following is a list of LRP's and their uses;

• Acetic acid - fish parasiticide
• Calcium chloride - osmoregulatory and transport aid
• Carbon dioxide gas - fish anesthetic
• Fuller's earth - egg adhesive reducer
• Garlic - helminth and crustacea control in salmon
• Hydrogen peroxide - fungicide on fish and their eggs
• Ice - transport aid
• Magnesium sulfate - external monogene and crustacea control
• Onion - external crustacea control in salmon
• Papain - egg adhesive reducer
• Potassium chloride - osmoregulatory aid
• Povidone iodine compounds - fish egg disinfectant
• Sodium bicarbonate - fish anesthetic
• Sodium chloride - osmoregulatory aid and parasiticide
• Sodium sulfite - egg hatching aid
• Tannic acid and urea - egg adhesive reducer
• Thiamine hydrochloride - thiamine deficiency treatment
  

All the remaining chemotherapeutants considered to be fish drugs by CVMare only to be used under the provision of an Investigational NewAnimal Drug (INAD) exemption. INAD's are being granted to producer groups andagencies willing to accept the responsibility of administering their INAD's. After a givenperiod of time, each INAD must be renewed by CVM. Under a INAD exemption, data must begenerated to support the approval of the drug; if it is not, the INAD will not be renewed.The INAD process will work only if INAD's lead to approved New Animal Drug Applications(NADA's).

Chemotherapeutants nearing approval, and their attended uses are;

• Formalin - microbicide for all fish and fish eggs
• Copper sulfate - microbicide for all fish
• HCG - spawning aid for all fish
• Erythromycin - for treatment of BKD in salmonids
• Crude carp pituatory - spawning aid in fish
• Oxytetracycline - marking agent for all fish

Chemotherapeutants anticipated for NADA approvals by the year 2000;

• Amoxicillin - microbicide in salmonids, stripped bass, tilapia, catfish
• Chloramine - T - a treatment for BGD and flexibacteriosis in fish
• Diquat - a treatment for BGD and flexibacteriosis in fish
• Hydrogen peroxide - fungicide treatment in fish
• LHRH_a - spawning aid in fish
• Oxytetracycline - microbicide in shrimp
• Potassium permanganate - microbicide for all fish
• Sarafloxacin - antibiotic for "hole in head" disease

The first provision has already been discussed and was the designationof drugs as LRP's. The second provision for use of unapproved drugs is somewhat limited,but it offers some relief to the aquaculture community.

Under the extra-label use criteria, only formalin could be prescribedfor use on species other than those on the label by practicing veterinarians. CVM has alsodecided that extra-label use of medicated feeds is allowed in aquaculture when themedicated feeds mixed with oxytetracycline or Romet-30 are formulated and labeled properlyin accordance with medicated feed regulations. Drugs approved for terrestrial animals canbe used in aquaculture under the same provisions. CVM will allow extra-label drug use ifthe health of the animals are threatened, and if suffering or death would result fromfailure to treat the affected animals.

If you have some questions about the chemotherapeutant approvalprocess, or what drugs you legally can use to treat your sick fish, give me a call at theLa Crosse Fish Health Center (608) 783-8444.

Marketing Concepts

AQUACULTURE INFORMATION SERIES: NO. 1

By: G. William Klontz, M.S., D.V.M., Technical Services Advisor, Nelson andSons, Inc., 118 West 4800 South, P.O. Box 57428, Murry, UT. 84157-0428, 1-800-521-9092

The MTAN is very happy to begin publishing a series of articles that havebeen contributed by G. William Klontz, M.S., D.V.M.. Dr. Klontz has previously worked forthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a fish pathologist and a professor at the Universityof Idaho in Moscow. Dr. Klontz was one of the first "Fish Vets" who helped toshape the fish diagnostic policies we currently use. Employed now as the TechnicalServices Advisor for Nelson and Sons, Inc, Dr. Klontz assists with all aspects of fishrearing and fish health.

Introduction

The process of producing a marketable foodfish is usually quiteuneventful, despite episodes of infectious and noninfectious diseases. However, what to dowith the fish when they become market size often creates a sense of panic because mostfish farmers have limited experience with marketing. The majority of texts addressing theart and science of aquaculture describe the various individual components of anaquaculture system in detail with little attention to the processes of planning andimplementing production. Totally lacking, in most cases, is some attention to marketingfarm-raised products.

Marketing begins with an assessment of what the market expectations arefor table fish. These must be established BEFORE beginning the production planningprocess. Based upon the opinions of those who practice this concept, this is the bestknown way to assure having a long-standing and profitable business venture. The marketexpectations can best be described as the PRODUCT DEFINITION, which consists of when, howmany, of what size fish prepared in what fashion, for a specific market niche.

Developing the Product Definition

The Product Definition is based on the marketing potential, which isbased upon evaluating quantitative data collected from the marketplace. The majority ofthe required data can be collected by responding to the "Five W" questions;namely, WHO is buying WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY?

The process of collecting the data can be quite sophisticated; e.g.,retain a professional marketing survey consultancy, or it can be quite simple; e.g.,conduct a "door-to-door" survey. In some regions, public agricultural agenciesand universities can collect the necessary data as part of their service missions.

In outline form, the "Five W" questions and their sources ofresponse materials are:

1. Who Is Buying?

Retailer, Chef, Homemaker, Processor, Wholesaler, Live-hauler,Fee-fishing proprietor.

Each of these individuals is probably the third or later person tojudge the quality of the product. The first and second persons are the producer and theprocessor, respectively. The final judge of product quality is usually the diner. If aproduct of less than desirable quality is presented, the likelihood of return purchases isvery slim. Thus, quality control must begin on the farm.

2. What Are They Buying?

Product style - alive, round, eviscerated fillet, pin bone in fillet,pin bone out value-added smoked, pate, ready-to-cook items.

• Presentation - fresh iced, fresh frozen, canned, shelf-packs
• Quantity - total weight, numbers, servings
  

3. Where Are They Buying?

Farm, Processor, wholesaler, Restaurants, Retail outlets, Regional.

Many nontraditional markets are not served by the rainbow troutcommunity. Among these are sales to convention centers, institutions (schools, hospitals,and retirement centers), and airlines. The capture fishery and channel catfish productshave done rather well in these markets. According to a limited nationwide survey ofdistributors and retailers of rainbow trout in America reported by McCain and Guenthner(1991), preferences were heavily in favor of a frozen, individually "sleeved",boned (pinbones removed, skin on), portion-controlled fillet. Value-added rainbow troutproducts have been slow in getting into the marketplace while salmon and channel catfishvalue-added products enjoy high acceptance in the marketplace.

4. When Are They Buying?

• Season
• Time

Availability of value-added products in America is limited.