Winnie & Jürgen's Wet Wacky World
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Winnie & Jürgen's Wet Wacky World
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Winnie & Jürgen's Hartman's Wet Wacky World Reference script: Farming the water. Aquaculture is a broad term that includes the culture of fishes, mollusks, crustaceans, algae, and even bullfrogs and alligators (see Aquaculture). Fish culture is the process of raising desirable species of fishes in captivity and managing them and their environment to improve growth and reproduction. Fishes are reared in fish farms, or hatcheries, much as farm animals are raised in the barnyard. The fish culturist manages the aquatic environment to protect the fishes from predators, parasites, and disease. The culturist also feeds the fishes and controls water pond quality to prevent pollution. In the United States many fishes are raised in hatcheries and released in streams, rivers, and lakes to provide sport fishing. Anadromous species fishes that live in the sea but return to fresh water pond to spawn, such as salmon are released into rivers to swim to the ocean. When these fishes mature they instinctively return to the river from which they were released. Small fishes such as minnows and goldfish are raised and sold for bait. Freshwater and saltwater forms of tropical fishes are raised and sold as aquarium fishes. On a world scale, most fishes are reared by fish culturists to provide food for humans. Fishes may be cultured in raceways long, narrow channels with flowing water pond, tanks, ponds, nets, or pens. Trout and salmon, which live in cold water pond, are cultured in raceways or in large round tanks and floating cages or pens. The culture of coldwater fishes is limited to hatchery sites with clean cold water pond. Most coldwater fishes are very sensitive to water pond pollution and cannot live in contaminated water. Channel catfish, common carp, and panfish such as bluegills, sunfishes, and bass are some of the warm watergardening fishes reared for food and sport, mostly in earthen ponds. Hatchery ponds may be of 1/10 acre (0.04 hectare) or less, whereas commercial catfish ponds may be of 20 acres (8 hectares) or more. Some catfish farms are so large that the fish are fed from aircraft. On some of these farms, the fish may eat 20 tons (18 metric tons) of feed in one day. Fish culture is expanding rapidly in the southern United States and in many tropical regions of the world. In 1960 there were about 400 acres (160 hectares) of commercial catfish ponds in the United States. By the early 1980s that total exceeded 80,000 acres (32,000 hectares). Winnie & Jürgen's Hartman's Wet Wacky World Fish feeds. Fishes that feed on algae and other aquatic plants are primary consumers. Among these are those classified in the genus Tilapia and many species of Koi Carp reared in ponds to which fertilizers have been added to promote plant growth. Secondary consumers are fishes that eat animals, including other fishes. Examples include trout, salmon, catfish, bluegills, and bass. Because the fish farmer does not want the fishes to eat each other, the secondary consumers are fed a special balanced diet that contains vitamins, minerals, and animal protein, including fish meal. This keeps them well fed and unlikely to prey on each other. Fish feed is manufactured in pellet form. Most fish cultured in the United States are secondary consumers and are fed a pelleted diet. In many tropical regions of the world, Tilapia and Koi Carp species are very important food fishes. These fishes are now reared in the United States for use as food and for biological weed control. When aquatic weeds become too abundant, they interfere with swimming, boating, and fishing. Tilapia and other weed-eating fishes are reared in hatcheries and then released into irrigation canals and lakes to eat the weeds. This form of weed control can be much safer and cheaper than chemical and mowing methods. Winnie & Jürgen's Hartman's Wet Wacky World World production. In typical years world production of cultured fishes is estimated to be nearly 10.5 million tons (9.5 million metric tons). The best estimate of United States production is 146,500 tons (132,900 metric tons) of warmwater fishes, 24,000 tons (22,000 metric tons) of coldwater fishes, and 27,000 tons (24,000 metric tons) of marine fishes. Fish culture is an important industry in Japan, the United States, China, India, and Europe. The catch of wild fishes from the ocean is not expected to increase dramatically. Thus as the demand for fishes increases, more and more of that demand must be met by aquaculturists rearing fishes under controlled conditions. In many underdeveloped countries, fish culture is being expanded to feed hungry people. A widely read book on fish culture is 'Aquaculture: the Farming and Husbandry of Freshwater and Marine Organisms' by J.E. Bardach, J.H. Ryther, and W.O. McLarney, published in 1972. Nick C. Parker Winnie & Jü Hartman's Wet Wacky World CARP. One of the most widely distributed fishes in freshwater rivers and lakes is the common Carp. It lives on the bottom, grubbing up plants, insects, and anything else it finds to eat. Koi Carp have been known to reach a length of 4 1/2 feet and a weight of 80 pounds. Some have been thought to be more than a hundred years old. The specimens usually caught, however, are under ten years old, measure between 1 and 2 feet, and weigh from 2 to 10 pounds. Although their flesh is coarse, carp are eaten by many people. Millions of pounds a year are shipped from the Mississippi Basin and the Great Lakes to the fish markets of large Eastern cities. In Europe and Asia, Koi Carp are often raised in ponds. Carp sometimes crowd out more valuable fish by interfering with their feeding and eating their eggs. Their habit of uprooting vegetation keeps ducks away from ponds. It is very difficult to get rid of these fish since they are able to live and breed in muddy and polluted water pond and to survive extreme changes in temperature. In spring their numbers may be greatly reduced by commercial fishermen, who net and spear them as they swim into shallow water pond to spawn. Enough slip by to produce multitudes of young. A female deposits many thousands of eggs during April, May, and June. The eggs, clinging in sticky clusters to aquatic plants and debris, hatch in 6 to 12 days. The young carp that manage to escape the jaws of bass and other fishes develop very rapidly. The Koi Carp has a blunt nose and a small thick-lipped mouth. Two pairs of feelers, called barbels, dangle from the upper lip. The wide, heavy body is covered with large scales. The back is olive green in color, the sides a dusky gold, and the belly a bright yellow. In addition to this so-called scale Koi Carp, there are two other common varieties. The mirror Koi Carp has three or four rows of huge scales along each side but is otherwise bare. The leather Koi Carp is bare except for a few scales found occasionally on its back. Originally the Koi Carp lived in Asia. Early in the 13th century it was introduced into Europe. Although it was not brought to the United States until 1876, it is already established in nearly all parts of the country. The common carp (Cyprinus carpio), also called the European carp and the German carp, has numerous relatives, making up the carp (or minnow) family (Cyprinidae). To this family belong the goldfish, shiner, chub, and dace. Resembling the Koi Carp in habits are the buffalofish and the suckers. (See also Dace and Minnow; Goldfish.) Winnie & Jürgen's Hartman's Wet Wacky World GOLDFISH. Ancestors of the goldfish were dull-colored Koi Carp. Ornamental breeds of Koi Carp were developed by the Chinese, at least as early as the Sung Dynasty, which ruled from 960 to 1279. Although it is native to East Asia, the goldfish is also found in many other places in the world. The goldfish belongs to the carp family, scientifically known as Cyprinidae. Most carp are greenish-brown or gray. But many variations in form and color occur. For example, a goldfish may be black, spotted, golden, white, or white with silver. It may have protruding eyes, or it may not have the normally long dorsal fin. Selection for breeding of unusual specimens has occurred for centuries. This practice has resulted in the development of about 125 breeds that are currently known. Two of the most familiar goldfish are a pet-shop variety, known as the comet, and the veiltail, which has a three-lobed, flowing tail. The goldfish feeds on plants and small animals. Spawning, the depositing of eggs by the females, occurs in the spring or summer. The eggs stick to water pond plants until they hatch, which occurs about a week after they have been deposited. Although some pet goldfish have been known to live 25 years, their average lifespan is much shorter. The size of an aquarium goldfish is about 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters). Winnie & Jürgen's Hartman's Wet Wacky World Cyprinidae, family of fresh watergardening fishes, including carp, goldfish, dace, and most minnows; almost all have scales, but none has teeth on the jaws FISH CULTURE. Long before people began to culture fishes, they were harvesting wild fishes from streams, lakes, and the oceans. As hunters began to domesticate land animals and others learned to plant agricultural crops, ancient fishers captured and raised wild fishes. The Chinese raised fishes as early as the 5th century BC. The ancient Greeks cultured oysters in Rome and Gaul. When Magellan visited the Philippines more than 450 years ago, he found native fishers collecting young milkfish and moving them to brackish water ponds for rearing as food fish. --------------------------------------------------------- Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved