One member of the Channidae family is the spotted snakehead catfish or taki fish (Channa punctata). Asia is where it first appeared, and countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and China are home to it. It lives in ditches, ponds, marshes, and brackish water; it especially likes the stagnant water in muddy streams. Spotted snakeheads are facultative breathers of the air.

Importance of taki fish:

Since the meat of snakeheads is said to be revitalizing, especially during recovery from severe illness, they have been valued as food fish. Fish is utilized as a remedy for a variety of illnesses and is said to offer numerous health advantages in ancient Ayurvedic medicine.

Fish that breathe air have a lot going for them in aquaculture since they can thrive in low oxygen environments. Given that live fish are sold at a significantly higher price than dead ones, this trait is crucial to the marketing of Taki fish. The spotted snakehead or Taki fish is well-liked by fishermen and is regarded as a game fish in some areas.

Culture potentialities of taki:

Spotted snakeheads are facultative breathers of the air. In addition to being able to breathe, they can live for up to four days on land if it is wet. This fish can breathe air thanks to a suprabranchial organ in its gill chamber, and it can endure in water that is almost anoxic. They can also migrate 400 meters, or 1/4 mile, by wriggling their bodies and fins from moist land to bodies of water.

The spotted snakehead is valued as a food fish, although commercial cultivation of this species has not taken off. As the demand for the fish has grown, wild catches have not kept up with the demand, and the accompanying market price has sparked a lot of interest in the controlled aquaculture of snakeheads.

Because of their white, nearly boneless flesh, ability to breathe on air, and resistance to low oxygen levels, spotted snakeheads may have a bright future in the culture. Because of their white, nearly boneless flesh, ability to breathe on air, and resistance to low oxygen levels, spotted snakeheads may have a bright future in the culture.

The majority of catfish used in aquaculture exhibit rapid growth, which is typically made possible by unique feeding habits like voracity and the capacity to eat a lot of food. In addition to being hungry, the majority of cultured catfish are omnivores, having eaten a wide range of foods in their native habitat, including vegetables. The capacity to break down starch is used to provide the needs for both protein and energy. Consequently, compared to other fish that are only carnivorous, the average amount of crude proteins required in the diet of cultured catfish is 30%, which is less than that of other fish (i.e. Salmonids, Lates calcarifer). Catfish are frequently fed high-starch raw materials such corn flour, cassava flour, and wheat and rice bran.

Most catfish can be cultivated under poor water circumstances, such as high organic matter content, sluggish water, and high fish density, because they have complementing air breathing conditions. Other species, such tilapias and cyprinids, will not even abide by such conditions.

The spotted snakehead or Taki is a desirable fish for aquaculture because of its reputation for being resilient and adaptable to a variety of water conditions.

Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
Fisheries Resource Management, CVASU

The post Spotted snakehead or Taki fish; its importance and culture potentialities in aquaculture industry appeared first on Seafood Network BD.

It is now crucial to safeguard this threatened species in a way that is both worthwhile and sustainable. However, due to the lack of high-quality seeds and the challenge of inducing breeding in this fish species, neither commercialization nor conservation of the species could be accomplished. There should be clear guidelines for snakehead culture’s practices.

Site selection

Snakehead culture is best suited for locations near canals or rivers that have enough high-quality water flowing through them either tidally or by pumping.

Pond preparation

The stocking pond is 30 decimal meters in size and 0.5 to 0.8 meters deep. Ponds should be fully dried, tilled, and have excess aquatic plants and shrubs removed to create embankments. One kilogram of lime per decimal place should be added to the pond to increase productivity and the pH of the water. To raise the density of plankton in pond waters, inorganic fertilizers such as 300 g/decimal urea and 700 g/decimal triple super phosphate (TSP) should be added after 5 days of water intake. Applying 5 kg/decimal of cow manure after 5 days of fertilization is recommended. Then, 2 kg of mustered oil cake per decimal should be administered after 2 days. Horra (Metal chain) should be pulled daily over the following seven days to avoid fertilizers settling and perhaps causing methane to build up in the bottom of the pond. Once there is an abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton, the pond water turns green, making it suitable for the stocking of desirable fish fingerlings.

Seed or brood collection

In order to produce high-quality seed, farmers can purchase Shol brood or fingerlings from breeders or from the natural water bodies of haor, baor, or beel and place them in ponds for natural breeding. Snakehead breed during pre-monsoon and monsoon season. The stocking period of fry is from June to November and brood in pre monsoon season. These fry are added to the nursing pond at a rate of 345–874 fry/m2, or 0.15–0.38 kg/m2.

Feed management

The C. striatus fish typically feed at night. Till harvesting, shol fish should be fed live feed or trash fish with an additional diet of rice bran, fish meal, and mustard oilcake at a rate determined by their anticipated body weight. For the first week of their culture, fingerlings should be fed at a rate of 20% of their body weight; after that, the rate should be gradually reduced. Typically, extra, or uneaten food is discovered to float for three to four hours, allowing the feeding schedule to be adjusted appropriately.

Water quality & disease management

Since natural selection occurs in the wild, where the seed stock originates, snakeheads have a high level of resistance to disease and parasites. Abnormalities brought on by environmental stress, parasite attacks, and poor water quality resulted in significant losses in fish productivity. In order to stop these losses, effective monitoring is required.

Harvest & Marketing

Snakeheads are cultured for seven to eleven months. Once the fish reach a marketable size, they are harvested when the price on the market is favorable. Using a portable water pump to decrease the water level in the raising pond and then seining are involved in harvesting. Following the process of sieving, the entire crop is harvested, and the pond is emptied.

Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
Fisheries Resource Management, CVASU

The post Culture Technique of Snakehead Catfish, Shoal in the Pond appeared first on Seafood Network BD.

Snakehead fish are valuable as a food source, which is abundant in vital amino acids and fatty acids. These can aid tissue growth, wound healing, and complement nutrients such as food supplements and medications. They mostly takes place in the shallow inundated areas of the rivers lakes and streams.

Snakehead fish could be found from mid-April to August, with the peak reproductive maturity occurring in June at a natural wetland in Bangladesh. Snakehead fish like Taki (Channa punctatus), Shoal (Channa striatus), Gajar (Channa marulius) and Raga (Channa gachua) spawn in the clear water of the shallow areas of newly flooded reservoirs during the first rains of Baisakh month (1st month of Bengali year). After the eggs hatch, the offspring move around in clear water under the direct supervision of their parents (Parental Care). In many parts of the country, it is called “Baish”.

Nowadays, local people are destroying their natural cycle of life by catching these “Baish”. They first hunt the parent fish of Taki, Shol and Gajar species with kuch/teda/harpoon for their meal. After that, Khuiya Jaal, Mosquito Net or Gamcha are used to catch the baby fry for eating and selling. By doing this, they are ending the lineage of snakehead species day by day. These species become threatened due to illegal catching of fry and brood fish during breeding season of snakehead fish. Besides these, habitat loss, climate change also hampered to decrease the stock of snakehead fish.

These fry catches are punishable offenses under the Fisheries Acts 1950, 1985 and 2000. Catching of baish was also prohibited in the Indian Fisheries Act 1897 of British India in the past. However, people continuously, ignoring these rules and regulations for the own benefit. They did not think for next generations who will not find these native species.

Previously, 67 native fish species have perished from the natural world, but the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) is doing research to resurrect the lost fish species. Appropriate law enforcement as well as massive awareness are needed to mitigate these problems. For saving the stock of snakehead fish and maintaining sustainable fish abundance in nature, people should aware of its after effect.

Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
Fisheries Resource Management, CVASU

The post Snakehead fish fry “Baish” catching should be prohibited appeared first on Seafood Network BD.