I N C O R P O R AT I N G

F I S H FA R M I N G T E C H N O L O G Y

September | October 2014

Expert topic - Carp

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The International magazine for the aquaculture feed industry

EXPERT TPIC

EXPERT TOPIC

CARP
Welcome to Expert Topic. Each issue will take an in-depth look
at a particular species and how its feed is managed.

32 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | September-October 2014

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12

Global overview

by Ross Jelfs, Lower Berryfield Fisheries

yprinus Carpio are the most commonly produced fish

in aquaculture, the tonnage of common carp in China
produced every year alone exceeds that of salmon and
trout worldwide.

Carp are a source of food in many parts of the world, especially

central Europe. It is perceived to be a Christmas tradition and delicacy
in some countries such as Poland. In such countries common carp can
be purchased in supermarkets and taken home just like a goldfish in
the UK.
For hundreds of years the Japanese have been producing Koi Carp
(Cyprinus Carpio) for garden ponds and water features. These domesticated fish are now produced not only in Japan but also all over Asia,
Europe and America. These koi carp are bred to such a high standard
in Japan and Israel that enthusiasts travel from all over the globe to the
all Japan show every year for an opportunity to witness the carp and
often purchase fish themselves.
These koi carp can cost up to 80,000 for top quality fish and
fish over 5,000 are very commonplace.
In Western Europe, carp production is
relatively on the smaller scale, as we do not
produce fish for the table due the fact we
are closer to seas and saltwater fish is more
of a staple diet.
The carp we produce in the UK are
required for the sport and leisure industry,
these fish are stocked into inland lakes, riv-

ers and canals. In the UK carp grow to weights in excess of 60lb and
dedicated anglers spend days, weeks, months and sometimes years just
trying to out wit their target fish, these carp can come in all shapes and
sizes with varieties including common, mirror and leather carp.
Here in the UK the demand for carp is ever on the increase with
avian predation at every stage of a young carps life and otters making
a successful come back in the wild.
In the UK with the demand for quality carp being so high, we dedicate such large areas of land to the construction of mud ponds, lakes
and huge re-circulation farms with hundreds of tanks loaded with high
end filtration and top quality diets trialed for the best for feed conversion rates possible so that we can grow the carp as quickly as possible
with out it being detrimental to the fish themselves.
As producers we are able to breed millions of fish, during the hatchery stage we cross specific brood stock to ensure the scale patterns
that are most desirable to the customers, such as fully scaled mirror
carp, zip linears and true leather carp and, of course, the traditional
common carp.
However, carp (Cyprinus Carpio) are actually found to be more of
an invasive species in other parts of the globe, due to their successful
breeding nature. In some countries such as Australia they are seen as
vermin only fit to feed crocodiles.
On the whole, carp are a very valuable fish within aquaculture.

September-October 2014 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 33

2
EXPERT TPIC

HAMPSHIRE CARP HATCHERIES

Investigation into
alternative commercial
diets for carp (Cyprinus
carpio) production on
their rates of growth
and feed utilisation

t Hampshire carp Hatcheries we

sell over 200,000 1st and 2nd
year carp to the ornamental and
restocking markets. We dedicate
over half our farms surface area to their
production. Feed has always been the major
variable cost of production. Year on year
as feed prices rise we look to see how we
can optimise the production gross margin
by using the most cost efficient diets. Over
the last couple of years our neighboring fishfarmer John Paton at Fishers Pond Fishery,
who specialises in the production of carp for
the restocking market, has been co feeding
his normal expensive aquacultural diets with
a number of cheaper agricultural diets.
We decided to investigate the potential
benefits of this strategy, so in collaboration
with Coppens International and Fishers Pond
fishery, we carried out an 6 week feed trial on
carp (C.carpio) at Sparsholt Colleges National
Aquatics training centre. The carp were fed
four commercial diets in triplicate so that their
commercial performance could be measured.
Key parameters that were measured were:
growth
feed utilisation
economic performance

Because the agricultural diets are not complete formulated feeds for fish we combined
them at a ratio of 2:1 with a bespoke fish
diet to ensure that all nutritional requirement
were met.

ences using a one way anova. There was no

significant difference in bulk weights.(p>0.05,f
= 0.04,d.f.3,8)
The fish were feed the most energy rich
trout diet @ 2.4% body weight a day. The

Materials & Methods

Experimental materials and procedure
Table 1 Formulation specification of trial
diets
The trial was conducted in twelve aquaria
(dimensions 90x30x30cm) in a recirculation
Diet Protein Lipid
Price
%
%
Euro/Kg
unit. Each aquaria maintained a flow of 1litre
min-1 at 20oc. Each morning the aquaria were
cleaned by siphoning any suspended solids
Distillers meal
30
9
0.196
and faeces. Water was replenished from a
Trout
46
16
1.14
reservoir of standing dechlorinated water.
Carp
32
11
1.12
Ammonia levels were routinely monitored
Layers (Chicken)
16
4.5
0.312
throughout the trial.
Prior to the start of the
trial, the carp were accli- Table 2 Adjusted diet specifications
matised to the aquaria for
Trial diet Ratio
Adjusted
Adjusted
Ad. price
two weeks whilst being fed
protein %
Lipid %
Euro/Kg
on a maintenance ration.
At the start of the trial
2 distillers +1
2.1
35.3
11.3
0.51
each aquaria was randomly
trout
stocked with 10 x 14.5
Trout
1
46.0
16.0
1.14
(+/- 0.5) gram carp. The
Carp
1
32.0
11.0
1.12
mean values of the bulk
weights of the fish on each
2 layers + 1 trout
2.1
26.0
8.3
0.59
diet were tested for differ- 2:1 = 2 of the trial diet +1 of trout

34 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | September-October 2014

EXPERT TPIC

SPECIALIST
IN FISH FEEDS

oppens International bv is specialised in developing, producing and marketing of

fish feeds. Our experienced specialists guarantee innovative fish feed programs
of high quality. Coppens uses knowledge to develop the right feed per species
of farmed fish in all their life stages. The Coppens Research Centre plays an
important role in this. For many years, Coppens has been recognised as a prominent player
in the fish feed sector.
Coppens International employs more than 160 people in its headquarters in Helmond
(Netherlands) and the production plant in Nettetal (Germany). The Coppens Research
Centre is based in Valkenswaard (Netherlands). Out of the headquarters in Helmond,
the sales of the self-developed fish feed is realised as well as customer contact. From the
production facility in Nettetal planning, transportation and procurement of raw materials is
provided. Coppens is active in and outside Europe. Coppens works with quality conscious
personnel, a high product quality and widespread network of specialized agents and distributors. Coppens fish feeds are currently sold to more than 60 countries around the world.

arp farming is one of the oldest forms of fish farming and today common and
mirror carp are still farmed for the table all over the world. Another important
segment is farming carp for restocking natural waters and commercial fisheries
for angling purposes.

other diets feed rates were adjusted to achieve

standard protein intake. (see table 2)
The daily ration for each tank was pre-weighed
and divided into two roughly equal feeds that
were fed at 08.30am and 4.30pm. The fish were
fed just 6 days each week. On the seventh day
the fish were bulk weighed and counted. New
rations were calculated each week based on the
new bulk weights.

Results

During the course of the trial all of the feed fed

was observed to be eaten. There were no mortalities and the water parameters were recorded
the same for all aquaria.

Diet utilization and Growth

The tanks ate between 181gr and 306gr of

food over the trial. FCRs varied from 1 to 2.2,
PERs varied from 1.4 to 2.1, % Weight Gains
varied from 69% to 126% and SGRs varied from
1.9% to 2.9%
There was a very highly significant difference
in the diets FCRs. (p>0.001,f = 123,d.f.3,8) The
Trout diet had a highly significantly lower Food
Conversion ratio (FCR) than all the other diets
(p<0.01) The Distiller diet mix had a significantly
lower Food Conversion ratio (FCR) than the
Layer diet mix. (p<0.05)

Carp are characterised by the lack of a stomach and have a long intestine. This type of
digestive tract fits an omnivorous lifestyle in which zooplankton, invertebrates and
fibrous plant material play a large role. The longer gut length is required to deal with a
high level of less digestible material in the natural diet of the fish. A much longer exposure
period to the digestive enzymes within the gastric tract is required for an efficient digestion.
Since the protein intake is relatively low, carp function well without having a real stomach
that normally is important for the first step in the protein digestion. These characteristics
are important considerations for making feed formulations and are the starting point for the
Coppens carp feed program. All the formulations not only meet the nutritional requirements
of carp in the respective life phases but are made with ingredients selected for digestibility
and palatability. By extruding the feeds the digestibility and the water stability of the pellets
is further improved.
After the winter carp have used up much of their energy reserves. In early spring they
need to gain back their condition quickly and prepare themselves for the spawning season.
Therefore a nutritious diet with sufficient protein and oil is required and ample vitamins
and minerals. This will help the carp to recondition and gain weight while building up their
gonads. A good choice is CarpCo Basic Select or even TroCo Prime-18 which meet these
requirements and are very tasty to carp. These feeds are available in many pellet sizes to suit
all sizes of carp. These pellets have good water stability so that also in cold water the carp
have enough time to find them. It is recommended to feed in fixed spots or confined areas
at certain times so that interested carp know where and when to check those places.
CarpCo Basic Select and TroCo Prime-18 are also the right feeds to feed through the summer
and in autumn to help achieve good growth rates. The higher oil level fulfils the fishs demand for
energy and reserves the protein for growth so that less ammonia is formed which helps to maintain a good water quality. It also helps to built up some energy reserves during autumn when carp
still eat well which is essential to help them through the cold winter period. In summer and autumn
once per day or per 2 days can be fed depending on stocking density and natural food availability.
Late autumn, when the water temperature sinks below 10-12 C, and during the winter
a different feed can be given. The metabolism and digestion of carp slows down when the
water gets colder and a less concentrated feed or a lower feeding level is required. CarpCo
Excellent is a good choice now. This feed has a lower oil level that can still be well digested at
low water temperatures. The cereal rich CarpCo Excellent is suitable to help maintain a good
condition. Feeding should be done once per 2 or 3 days till the temperature goes below 6-8
C. Feed a rather small size giving a large number of pellets per volume so that all carp have a
fair chance to pick up their share. While calculating the amount of feed, the amount of natural
food and what will be fed by the fishermen have to be taken into account.

September-October 2014 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 35

EXPERT TPIC

There was a very highly significant difference in the diets PERs.(p>0.001,f =70,d.f.3,8)
The Trout diet had a highly significantly higher
Protein Efficiency ratio (PER) than all the
other diets (p<0.01) The Layer diet mix had
a significantly higher protein efficiency ratio
(PER) than the Distiller diet mix and the Carp
diet. (p<0.05)
There was a very highly significant difference in the diets SGRs.(p>0.001,f =66,d.f.3,8)

Layers diet had a 23% daily

advantage and co feeding
the Distillers diet had a 4%
daily advantage.

Conclusion

The Trout diet significantly out performed the

other alternative diets in
growth, F.C.R., P.E.R. and
economic
effiTable 3 Trial feed rate guidelines
ciency. Co feeding
with the Layers
Trial diet Protein Lipid % feed Available Available
diet gave significant
%
%
rate
protein
lipid
better growth and
protein efficiency
Dist/Tr 35.3
11.3
3.1
110.24
35.4
than using the Carp
Trout 46.0
16.0
2.4
110.40
38.4
or Distillers wheat
Carp 32.0
11.0
3.5
110.40
38.0
diets and would be
Lay/Tr 26.0
8.3
4.3
110.50
35.4
the best co-feed
alternative. Overall
the implications in
The Trout diet had a highly significantly intensive farming environhigher Specific Growth rate (SGR) than all ments are that there is a sigthe other diets (p<0.01) The Layer diet mix nificant benefit from using a
had a significantly higher Specific Growth rate bespoke high performance
(SGR) than the Distiller diet mix and the Carp fish diet.
However, in less intendiet. (p<0.05)
sive systems where there
is a considerable amounts
Economics
The Carp diet performed least well eco- of natural feed there may
nomically. The Trout diet had a daily eco- be scope for these cheaper
nomic advantage of 49%. Co feeding the supplementary alternatives.
36 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | September-October 2014

Figure 1 Mean Cumulative FCR

Figure 2 Mean Cumulative PER

Figure 3 Mean SGR %

EXPERT TPIC

Table 4 Summary of the mean performance of each diet after 6 weeks (+/- 95% C.I.)

"The Trout diet significantly

Diet Feed rate %

Food fed (gr)

FCR

PER

% Weight gain

SGR%

out performed the other

alternative diets in
growth, F.C.R., P.E.R. and
economic efficiency"

Dist/Tr

3.12

211(+/-5)

1.95(+/-0.37)

1.46(+/-0.28)

75%(+/-17)

2%(+/-0.3)

Trout

2.40

183(+/-13)

1.02(+/-0.02)

2.13(+/-0.04)

124%(+/-5)

2.9%(+/-0.1)

Carp

3.45

237(+/-13)

2.06(+/-0.08)

1.52(+/-0.06)

80%(+/-4)

2.1%(+/-0.1)

Lay/Tr

4.25

301(+/-5)

2.17(+/-0.16)

1.77(+/-0.13)

96%(+/-12)

2.4%(+/-0.2)

F/V/G(Island):2015

Hampshire Carp
Hatcheries

Pat Haughton has carried out

nutritional trials for 30 years in
his role as lecturer at the fisheries
department at Sparsholt College.
These were for feed companies
and student dissertations.
He has retired as a lecturer
but runs, in partnership with
Chris Seagrave, Hampshire
Carp Hatcheries the UKs largest cyprinid fingerling producer.
Hampshire Carp Hatcheries produce 8 species of cyprinids (chub,
barbel, ide, tench, carp, goldfish,
gudgeon,and sticklebacks) and 20
colour varieties of these species.
Their website (www.hampshirecarp.co.uk) is regularly updated
to feature the farming operations
and all areas of research and
development.
The author would like to thank
Coppens International and Fishers
Pond Fishery for their collaboration with this research.

11/8/14

09:57

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September-October 2014 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 37

3
EXPERT TPIC

Feed and
feeding
practices of
Carp in India
by B. Laxmappa, Fisheries Development
Officer, Department of Fisheries, India,
e-mail: laxmappaboini@gmail.com

he carp is a common name for

various species of freshwater fish
of the family Cyprinidae, a very
large group of fish native to Asia
and Europe. Cyprinids particularly the wide
variety of carp species, represent a cheap
source of protein for subsistence aquaculture
in warm temperate and subtropical countries.
Carp production is increasing tremendously
throughout India and it is most likely that
these carps will be able to cater to the
tastes of all classes of people ranging from
aristocratic consumers to poor people.
India is the second-largest aquaculture producer in the World. Freshwater aquaculture is
an integral part of the agriculture in India. It is
one of the fastest growing sub-sectors in the
country, which has registered a growth rate
of 5.1 per cent per annum in last 60 years.
During this period, the fish production in
the country has increased from 0.75 million
tonnes (mt) in 1950 to 8.5 mt in 2011 of
which the major contribution has been from
aquaculture.
India is a carp country from aquaculture
point of view. There has been a phenomenal
expansion of commercial carp culture in constructed earthen ponds in certain Indian states
such as Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.
In several other states viz. Odisha, Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu commercial carp culture is also
gaining momentum. Indian freshwater aquaculture is mostly based on few species, for e.g.
about 80 percent of production is contributed

Table.1: Commercially cultured Carp species

in India.
Category

Indian
Major
Carp

by Indian major carps viz., Catla, Rohu, Mrigala

and some exotic carps (Table 1).
Globally, fed aquaculture constitutes about
75 percent of the current production from
aquaculture. In China, more than 90% of the
aquaculture production comes through feed
based aquaculture, but in India, the fed fish
culture is less than 30 percent. With an adoption of the carp culture technology the mean
fish production level across the country has
crossed 2.9 t/ha/year, while several farmers
are able to achieve much higher production
levels (8-10 t/ha/year). Nutrient requirements
of commercially important freshwater fish
viz. carp led to the development of generic
feeds for the different life stages of these fish.
Most carp production occurs in extensive,
polyculture systems throughout India. But, in
the last 20 years, carp production has intensified in several parts of India. The traditional
polyculture has given way to the dominance
of one or two species Labeo rohita and Catla
catla. Typical pond yields range from 3-8
tonnes/ha/year. Farm mixed feed comprising
of rice bran and a plant protein source such

Exotic
Carp

Common
Name

Scientific Name

Catla

Catla catla
(Hamilton)

Rohu

Labeo rohita
(Hamilton)

Mrigala

Cirrhinus mrigala
(Hamilton)

Silver
carp

Hypophthalmichthys
malitrix (Valenciennes)

Grass
carp

Ctenopharyngodon
idella (Valenciennes)

Common
carp

Cyprinus carpio
(Linnaeus)

as groundnut oil cake or cottonseed oil cake

is given to the fish.

Feed resources

Several agro-based ingredients have been

identified and analyzed for their use in fish
feeds. The ingredients that contain less than
20 percent protein and 18 percent fibers are

38 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | September-October 2014

EXPERT TPIC

Ingredients

Moisture
(%)

Crude
Protein (%)

Crude Fat
(% DM)

Fibre (%
DM)

Carbo
hydrates
(% DM)

Ash
(% DM)

Rice bran

7-10

12-16

12-14

8-12

40-45

5-8

De-oiled rice bran

8-10

15-18

1-2

10-15

45-50

8-12

Groundnut cake

7-10

40-43

4-8

6-7

30-33

8-10

Sunflower cake

10-12

30-32

4-8

15-18

30-35

8-10

Mustard cake

11-12

32-38

5-7

11-15

30-35

6-7

Cotton seed cake

7-10

32-35

6-8

12-16

35-40

8-12

Table 3: Major feed ingredients available in India during the year 2007-08

Ingredients

Quantity
(million
tonnes)

State producing major quantity

5.70

Andhra Pradesh, Asom, Bihar, Haryana, Karnataka Kerala,

Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu,
Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.

Groundnut cake:
Arachis hypogaea

6.00

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,

Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana,
Uttar Pradesh, Odisha.

Sunflower cake:
Helianthus annuus

1.00

Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,

Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar.

Mustard cake:
Brassica nigra

3.78

Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya

Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, North East Region.

Cotton seed
cake: Gossypium
herbaceum

8.50

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh.

Mycofix

to

x i n Ri

sk

Myco

Rice bran:
Oryza sativa

classifies as energy supplements. The ingredients that contain 20 percent or more protein
are grouped as protein supplements (Table 2).
Among the different nutrients in fish feed, the
protein is considered as the costliest one and
is essentially required for growth, tissue repair,
reproduction and health of fish. It is reported
that about 40-80 per cent of the feed cost is
due to protein alone and therefore, the success of aquaculture depends on the efficient
utilization of dietary protein. But the utilization
of dietary protein by an organism depends on
types of diet, source of protein, digestibility of
dietary protein, its amino acid profile, the ratio
of energy to protein in diet and the amount of
protein supplied.
The total volume of manufactured feed
sold in the country in 2010 was 60,000 tonnes
of pelleted fish feed and 3,72,000 tonnes of
extruded floating feed. The fish feed ingredients are the finite resources and many of
these ingredients are having multiple users by
other animal production systems such as dairy
and poultry and it is envisaged that there will
be acute shortage of ingredients in the days
to come. The fish feed resources are mainly
comprised of the by-products of the agroprocessing industries and the availability of
these by-products depends on the production
of the main crops like oilseeds, cereals and
pulses which in turn depend on the success/
failure of monsoon (Table 3).

M YC OF I

en
t

Table 2: Chemical composition of some feed ingredients in percent dry matter (DM)

nag eM

More protective.
Mycotoxins decrease performance and interfere
with the health status of your animals.

Mycofix is the solution for mycotoxin risk management.

mycofix.biomin.net
Naturally ahead
September-October 2014 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 39

EXPERT TPIC
Table 4: Generally suggested feeding rates
for industrial pellets for Indian major carps
(Bharat Lux Indo Company)
Sinking pellet (18-20% crude protein) Extruded floating pellet (28% crude protein)
Fish size
(g)
<100

% body
weight
per day

Fish size
(g)

3.0

<100

% body
weight
per day
2.8

101300

2.0

101-150

2.3

301500

1.5

151-200

1.8

501700

1.2

201-250

1.6

701900

1.0

251-500

1.3

0.8

5011000

0.8

>900

Table 5: Indias extrusion feed mills

Sl.
No.

Company

Indian Broiler Group

Ananda Feeds

Uno Feeds

Growel Feeds

Kwality Feeds

C. P. Feeds

Rudra Techno Feeds

Mulpuri Feeds

Nexus Feeds

10

Deepak Nexgen Feeds

11

ABIS Fish Feed

12

Cargill Fish Feed

13

Rasoya Proteins Ltd

The important plant ingredients include

wide range of oil seed residues, cereals,
millets, etc. These are available to a tune
of 48.85 million tonnes (2009-10) as feed
concentrates in India. There are nine major oil
seeds produced in India. These are groundnut,
soybean, mustard, sesame, castor, sunflower,
linseed, safflower and niger. Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Gujarat produce more than
half of the total oil seed production in India.
Cereal by-products/cereals such as rice bran,
wheat bran, maize, sorghum, bajra and millets
are the major source of carbohydrate and
energy in fish feed.

Feeding practices

There are two types of feeding practices

in India. The first one is pole or rope feeding
method in which the feed ingredients are
mixed (mash feed), and 38 kg of the mixture
is placed in used perforated fertilizer/cement
bags. Holes are made in the bags, usually
in four rows, about one inch size from the
bottom of the bag. The bags are transported
to the middle areas of the pond, and tied to
fix feeding poles or ropes. The simplicity, efficiency and popularity of this feeding method

are evidenced by the fact that it is the only

major farm management practice that has not
changed for the past 30 years in the country.
The second one is broadcast feeding
method in which the commercial pelleted
(extruded) feeds are directly broadcasts in
the culture pond. There was a high degree
of variability in the total quantity of feed
that the farmers were feeding to a given size
class of fish each day. For example, fish up to
250 g were fed between 11.5 and 5.15.5
percent of body weight per day. Larger fish
(11.25 kg) were being fed between 1.62.0
and 5.15.5 percent of body weight per day.
There are no standard feed guidelines describing feeding rations that are based on animal
size and stocking density. At present, farmers
base their feed rations on their personal
experience.
The commercial aqua feed manufacturers
provide feed tables to assist farmers to optimize their feed management. Typical feeding
rates that are recommended by the commercial aqua feed (sinking pellets and floating
pellets) manufacturers for Indian major carps
are presented in Table 4.
There is no published information specifi-

cally pertaining to the optimization of ration

size in semi-intensive Indian major carp production systems that solely use pelleted feeds.
The feeding rates that are advocated by the
commercial feed manufacturers do not take
into consideration the role of natural feeds
in the production systems. Currently, Indian
major carp farmers base their daily feeding
regimes on a number of factors. These primarily include monthly growth parameters,
the number of days that the fish have been
cultured, the standing biomass, and the average fish weight.
A number of the farmers that used a
combination of floating pellets and mash
feeds reported feeding twice a day at morning
6am to 8pm and again during the evening at
2pm to 4pm. Under this feeding regime, the
mash was fed in the morning and the floating
pellets in the evening. While there was no
technical or scientific rationale for feeding in
the morning, it became a standard practice as
it was a convenient time for the farmers and
farm workers to feed. Generally, the farmers
monitor the feed preparation, feeding, and
feed response, and provide instruction to
their workers.

40 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | September-October 2014

EXPERT TPIC
The supplementary feed used in
aquaculture generally consists of
rice bran and groundnut oilcake
which are compounded in 1:1 or
2:1 and some farmers use mustard oilcake in place of groundnut oilcake. Cake-bran mixture in
conjunction with natural fish-food
organisms is still a practice for semiintensive carp farming in India. This
mixture is not nutritionally balanced, and
is normally used to supplement protein and
energy. Plankton plays a major role in sustaining fish growth and optimizing feed conversion
ratio (FCR). Stocked species about 50 percent
protein, 8 percent lipid and 27 percent carbohydrate and 4 Kcal/g gross energy from natural
food organisms like plankton and of animal
origin. Phytoplankton provides high quantities
of n-3 and n-6 poly- unsaturated fatty acids.
Owing to non-availability of commercial
feeds and economic reason, more than 90%
farmers use farm-made feeds of cake-bran
mixture or improved version of the feed
mixture in carp culture. The farm-made feeds
are prepared based on ingredient availability
and feeding experiences. In Andhra Pradesh,
farmers use defatted rice bran and groundnut
oilcake in 7:3 ratio with feed additives mineral
and vitamin mixtures. And a farmer in Punjab
is reported to enrich his traditional cake-bran
mixture with animal protein sugar industry

by-product rich in minerals and feed is further

supplemented with vitamins and minerals.
Inter-linking of artificial feeding with natural
fish food organisms has been found beneficial
as influences dietary efficiency and economic
utilization of former. There has been a rapid
shift from traditional feeding to pellet feeding
of nutritionally complete diet.

Fish feed industry

Until recently, India was an insignificant

player in the global fish feed sector due to
its reliance on traditional feeding based on a
few nutritionally poor agriculture by-products
and the use of animal manure for plankton
production. American Soybean AssociationInternational Marketing (ASA-IM) decided in
2003 to create a niche for better aquaculture
feeds, linking the development to an array

of better aquaculture practices to grow fish.

Initial work focused on commercial feeding demonstrations that showed economic
returns to the industry.
Stakeholders and potential entrepreneurs
were also exposed to feed-based technologies in practice elsewhere in Asia. As a result
of these efforts and excellent participation by
private companies and entrepreneurs in the
fish-farming sector, India has emerged as a
significant producer of soy-based extruded,
floating feeds, as well as sinking pellets for
fish. The industry has invested in imported
extrusion machinery to produce the floating

September-October 2014 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 41

EXPERT TPIC

Aquaculture America 2015

Aquaculture Center of the Plate

February 19-25, 2015

New Orleans Marriott
New Orleans, Louisiana
THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION OF

Associate Sponsors

Americas Tilapia Alliance

American Veterinary Medical Association
Aquacultural Engineering Society
Aquaculture Association of Canada
Catfish Farmers of America
Global Aquaculture Alliance
American Veterinary Medical Association

International Association of Aquaculture

Economics and Management
Latin American Chapter WAS
Striped Bass Growers Association
US Shrimp Farming Association
US Trout Farmers Association
World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association

For More Information Contact:

Conference Manager
P.O. Box 2302 | Valley Center, CA 92082 USA
Tel: +1.760.751.5005 | Fax: +1.760.751.5003
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fish feeds. Presently more than a dozen feed mill operations with
an installed monthly capacity close to 36,000 mt (Table 5). This
major expansion will have to find a larger user base to which it
can sell feed products.

Conclusion

Carp is the mainstay in Indian aquaculture. Being herbivorous,

Carp can very efficiently use the plant feed resources. Several
nutrient-rich plant products have assumed great importance for
aquaculture. Proper combinations of different plant ingredients
and incorporation/fortification of deficient amino acids, vitamins
and minerals not only balance the nutrients but also act upon
their deficiency-compensation mechanism. During the last
decade, the price of the most of the fish feed ingredients had
increased significantly to the tune of 3-4 times in the country.
Therefore, identification of alternate feed ingredients and their
use in the fish feed would be one of the major challenges in the
future. To better utilize and also to save the much-valued fish
feed resources, proper feed and feeding strategies are required.
Feed constitutes more than of 60 percent of the production cost and efficiency. Feed use has a strong bearing on the
cost-benefit ratio of the aquaculture operation. Earlier, sinking
pellets were produced in the country particularly for feeding
the brackish water shrimp and freshwater prawn, while use of
feed concentrate for carp farming was almost negligible. Though
realisation of better nutrition and higher biomass yield in carp,
fed with a balanced diet is a well-known fact, the practice has
not yet flourished in the carp farming sector owing to several
reasons including the higher cost of pellet feed compared to the
conventional feed mixture.
Reluctance to invest in feed and lack of technical awareness
on benefit of feeding fish are the other reasons that restrict the
supplementary feeding. As a result, freshwater fish farming in
India till recent years has been relying on the use of conventional

42 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | September-October 2014

FEATURE

The worlds leading trade fair for animal production

"Carp is the mainstay in Indian

aquaculture. Being herbivorous,
Carp can very efficiently use
the plant feed resources.
Several nutrient-rich plant
products have assumed great
importance for aquaculture"

Fish & More

Marketplace for Aquaculture
11 14 November 2014
Hanover, Germany
mixture of certain feed ingredients such as oil cakes and brans of
cereals as the protein and carbohydrate sources, respectively with an
approximate FCR of 3-4. The supply of these ingredients for aquaculture is again getting stiff competition from the dairy and poultry
sectors leading to an increase in the feed cost. With the growing
aquaculture activity in the country, the situation may become more
adverse for aquaculture if timely steps are not taken to increase the
feed use efficiency.
Fortunately use of balanced feed for fish is becoming increasingly
popular among the commercial farmers for reaping better harvest.
At present, pelletized feeds with balanced nutrition are used mainly
in commercial aquaculture activity of two groups of fishes, i.e., major
carps and catfish like Pangasionodon, and freshwater prawn and have
proven to enhance biomass yield. About 44 million tonnes of concentrate feeds are manufactured in the country at present for the different
animal husbandry sectors, whereas the demand for concentrate feed is
around 143 million tonnes, with a huge current deficit of 69.3 percent.
The aquaculture sector is currently using about 20 percent of total
available concentrate feeds. Therefore, sustenance and further expansion of the aquaculture activity needs promotion of the production
of concentrated feed rather than relying on the conventional feed
mixture. While promoting establishment of feed mill, efforts should
also be made to encourage finding alternate ingredients. Since use
of extruded floating feed pellets for freshwater fin fishes have shown
efficacy in terms of better feed consumption, low wastage and efficient
feed management, feed mill should be promoted for production of
this form of feed to save the ingredient resource.

References

Innovations for modern sh

farming and water treatment
New practical approaches
for practical applications
at Forum Aquaculture
Answers to your questions
at the Aquaculture Advisory
Centre
Get-together for the industry
Showcase Growth in Water
www.eurotier.com/aquaculture
Hotline: +49 69 24788-265
E-Mail: expo@DLG.org

Feeding and feed management of Indian major carps in Andhra Pradesh,

India- FAO
Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper: 578
Hand Book of Fisheries and Aquaculture 2011Published by ICAR, New
Delhi.

Dieses
Projekt
This project
is wird
von
derco-fi
Europischen
being
nanced
Gemeinschaft
by the European
kofinanziert.
Community

September-October 2014 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 43

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