Author(s): Tania Farhana*, Md Ekramul Hasan, Abdullah-Al Mamun and Muhammad Shafiqul Islam
A study was conducted to evaluate the commercial culture potentiality of striped snakehead Channa striatus fish in the earthen ponds in Jessore, Bangladesh. Monoculture was carried out in three earthen ponds of Afil Aqua Fish Ltd by collecting naturally available fingerlings with a length and weight of 11.75 ± 0.75 cm and 45 ± 10 g, respectively for a period of 180 days. Stocking density of fingerlings was 40 fish/decimal and were fed with hatchery originated live fish fry of Bata (Labeo bata), Mrigal (Cirrhinus cirrhosus) and Silver carp (Hypophthalmicthys molitrix) at the rate of 1 to 3% of the total body weight and a supplementary feed combination of rice polish, mustered oil cake and fish meat at the rate of 3 to 5% of the total body weight. In situ water quality parameters viz. water temperature, dissolve oxygen, pH were obtained from 26.5 ± 5 to 31.5 ± 1.5 oC, 6.75 ± 0.25 to 8.2 ± 0.1 mg/L and 7.8 ± 0.1 to 8.5 ± 0.1, respectively. The final weight of fish was 850 ± 60 g and net production was 32.98 ± 0.5 kg/decimal. The total production of remaining unutilized white fish Bata (Labeo bata), Mrigal (Chirhinus cerosus) was 500 ± 0.5 kg. The survival rate and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was 97 ± 2% and 1.56, respectively after six months of rearing. Cost benefit ratio (BCR) was 1.85 and found significantly higher than Thai koi (Anabus testudineus) (1.53) and Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) (1.22) from the same region and indicated its culture and economic feasibility.