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Ashland NFWCO
 Midwest Region
 ***Dedicated To Tribal Aquaculture Programs***
      Fish Jumping
          **December 1997 ~ Volume 22****Coordinator:
                  Frank G. Stone 
                  (715-682-6185) Ext. 12
                  U.S. Fish and
                  Wildlife Service
                Email: [email protected]** Topics
  of Interest: MTAN Arrow3 MTAN Updates
  MTAN ArrowBig Redd Incubator ProblemsAnesthetizing Hatchery Brook Trout with Sodium  Bicarbonate
  MTAN ArrowFry Culture Technique Successful
  MTAN ArrowCold Water Feeding of Trout
  MTAN ArrowHatchery Tip
  MTAN ArrowFeed Sizes For Trout  3 MTAN Updates **By: Roger Gordon, Fishery Biologist, Iron River NFH, Iron  River, WI, and The MTAN** **1)** The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (Community) and the  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) are once again implementing a two year  plan to bring gametes from several wild strains of Lake Superior lake trout  into the Keweenaw Bay Tribal Fish Hatchery at L'Anse, Michigan.
  This operation represents the second such cooperative  agreement between the Community and the Service during the past two years. The  Service and the tribe first entered into this agreement as a way of providing  certified disease free wild trout for use in the Federal hatchery broodstock  system. The Service doesn't have an isolation facility that can safely  accommodate wild gametes plus raise the fingerlings without also possibly  harming other lake trout operations. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community has  taken on a "Fish Isolation Facility" role that has greatly helped the  Service meet its responsibilities to restore lake trout populations.
  The plan calls for Service and Tribal biologists to collect  eggs and sperm from wild lake trout. Fertilized eggs will be kept at the  Keweenaw Bay Hatchery for hatching and rearing over the next two year period.  If the fish pass a series of disease inspections they will be transferred (as  future broodstock) to a Service hatchery where they will be later used to  produce eggs and fingerlings for stocking into all three of the Upper Great Lakes.
  **2)** The MTAN recently received a letter from the U.S. EPA  that verified that most Tribal hatchery programs do NOT need settling basins.  The letter we received includes the following.... "New [Tribal hatchery]  facilities should apply for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System  permit 180 days prior to beginning of any discharge. We will be happy to supply  the tribes with applications as needed. In addition, for facilities that have a  maximum capacity of 6000 lbs. of fish per year and use a maximum of 2000 lbs.  of food per month, construction of settling ponds would not be routinely  required. However, we do recommend that during the design phase, space be set  aside for a settling pond in case the maximum capacity is increased or if the  discharge is having a impact on the receiving stream."
  **3)** The MTAN and Tribal hatchery stocking information are now  available on the Internet! The MTAN has been busy attempting to broaden our  objective of distributing fish culture information to Tribal aquaculture  programs. This information is now available to visitors of the U. S. Fish and  Wildlife Services, Ashland Fishery Resources Office home page.  Big Redd Incubator Problems **By: Gregory J. Fischer, Hatchery Manager, Red Cliff Tribal  Fish Hatchery, Bayfield, WI** The Red Cliff Tribal Fish Hatchery (RCTFH) has some older  style Big Redd Incubators that have been in use for about eight years. The  incubators have usually worked well enough for the hatchery to incubate and  hatch out several million walleye eggs every year. Except for occasional  problems causing small egg losses, there had only been one instance of complete  incubator failure causing catastrophic egg losses in the early 1990's. During the 1997 spring walleye egg incubation period, the  RCTFH experienced some problems with the Big Redd Incubator Systems that were  being used. Walleye eggs collected during spring tribal spearing were placed  into 760 mm tubes at the recommended level of one liter per tube (Big Redd  Incubators Operation Manual). Initial incubation of eggs went as planned and  hatching commenced as predicted. The fry seemed in good shape and all  parameters within the incubators were within the specified limits. Due to a  snowstorm and dropping temperatures, fry were not stocked into the rearing  ponds on the selected date. Fry were held until pond temperatures stabilized in  the Big Redd Incubator Units. During this holding time, all the fry died within  a 24 hour period approximately five days after hatching commenced. All  parameters within the incubators were within specified limits. It was later determined that incubator failure was probably  caused by the bottom manifold becoming restricted with particles and slime from  the hatching eggs. This manifold was thoroughly cleaned before incubation  procedures were initiated. There is not an effective way to clean out this  manifold after eggs have been added to the incubator tubes that we are aware  of. We would recommend decreasing the maximum amount of eggs added to each  incubator tube and to carefully "flush" out the system during or  immediately after hatching. After losing all the walleye stock for the 1997 season, I  began calling other hatcheries for "extra" fry. The St. Croix Tribe  Fisheries Division donated 100,000 fry of the appropriate genetic lineage for  our Eau Claire Lake Chain walleye rearing program. The Wisconsin Department of  Natural Resources-Woodruff Fish Hatchery donated 200,000 fry for rearing by our  conservation club cooperators. The Minnesota Department of Natural  Resources-Knife River Fish Hatchery donated 100,000 fry of the appropriate  genetic lineage for our Lake Superior walleye  program. Many thanks go out to these departments for coming to our rescue!  Without these walleye fry it would have been a very slow summer. If there are any questions or comments on the Big Redd  Incubators or the Red Cliff Tribal Fish Hatchery programs feel free to call me  at (715) 779-3728 or E-mail me at [email protected]  A Test for Anesthetizing Hatchery Brook Trout with Sodium  Bicarbonate and Glacial Acetic Acid **By: Henry Quinlan, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland  Fishery Resources Office, Ashland,   WI** The U.S. Geological Survey - Great Lakes Science Center  (USGS-GLSC) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Ashland Fishery Resources  Office (USFWS-Ashland FRO) are preparing to study morphometric differences of  brook trout at Isle Royale National Park using the Truss protocol. This  protocol requires fish be photographed and therefore motionless for up to a  minute. A test was conducted at the Red Cliff Tribal Fish Hatchery (RCTFH) to  determine the efficacy of an anesthetic technique using sodium bicarbonate  (NaHCO3) and glacial acetic acid (CH3COOH) to immobilize fish, but allow safe  consumption immediately after release (Prince et al. 1995). The objective of  the test was to determine if these results could be duplicated and if the  immobility attained was suitable for our purposes. This test was conducted by  Chuck Bronte (U.S. Geological Survey - Great Lakes Science   Center), Greg Fischer  (Red Cliff Tribal Fish Hatchery), and Henry Quinlan (U.S. Fish and Wildlife  Service - Ashland Fishery Resources Office). Following the procedures described, we conducted six trials  using different concentrations of sodium bicarbonate and glacial acetic acid to  anesthetize brook trout. The ratio of sodium bicarbonate to acetic acid  remained the same for five of the six trials and was based upon the effective  ratio described. The sixth trial had a higher ratio of sodium bicarbonate to  acetic acid. The fish used in this test were hatchery reared age 2+ Nipigon Lake strain brook trout raised for  broodstock by the RCTFH. **Methods** The source of water at the RCTFH is groundwater and water  chemistry parameters remain constant for long time periods. Dissolved oxygen  (11.1 ppm) and temperature (7.2C) were measured in one raceway prior to  initiating tests and were assumed to remain constant throughout the study. A circular tub was filled with 30 liters of water from a  raceway. The initial pH of the tub water was measured and recorded. The sodium  bicarbonate was weighed to the nearest gram (g) and dissolved in one liter of  tub water. The acetic acid was measured to the nearest milliliter (ml) in a  graduated cylinder and mixed in another liter of tub water. Each bucket was  then added to the 28 liters of water in the tub and thoroughly mixed. The pH of  the tub water was also measured once during each trial. Brook trout were placed into the tub and visually observed  or periodically checked by hand for activity and movement. Three brook trout  were used for each trial. No selection was made for specific fish and age of  all fish used was 2+. Notes were kept on fish activity and length of time  exposed to the anesthetic. Fish remained in the anesthetic until it appeared  that no further anesthesia would occur. At the end of each trial the fish were  measured, weighed, and isolated in the raceway of origin for 24 hours to check  for mortality or incomplete recovery. **Results** The fish responded to the anesthesia after about 5 seconds  in the tub. The fish become hyperactive for up to one minute, after which  intermittent bursts of activity occurred for up to 8 minutes. Total time in  anesthesia ranged from 8 minutes in trial 1 to 13 minutes in trial 6. Upon  handling of the fish for length and weight measurement at the end of the trial  we determined whether the level of anesthesia was sufficient for project  purposes. In one of six trials (trial 5) the fish attained the level of  anesthesia required for photographing. In trial 4 the fish were immobilized for  brief periods that may or may not have been sufficient for the project. Fish in  trials 1, 2, 3, and 5, did not reach the level of anesthesia necessary for  project purposes. As suggested by Prince et al. (1995), the amount of acetic  acid will have to be modified to achieve a similar level of immobility if pH of  the water is outside the range of their study (7.5 - 8.4). This also pertains  to these trials in which pH ranged from 6.6 to 7.0. Fish recovered to a normal swimming or resting position  about 5-20 minutes after being returned to the raceway. For trials 3-6 there  appeared to be a period of immobility for a few minutes after fish were  returned to the raceway. After one week no fish mortality occurred. We confirmed that this technique produced the level of  immobility suitable for our purposes. The mixture of 60 g of sodium bicarbonate  and 23 ml of acetic acid in 30 liters of water at a pH of 6.8 sufficiently  anesthetized fish for protocol photography. **Comments** The process of preparing the anesthetic solution was simple  and quick and is suitable for field application. Pre-weighed, packaged sodium  bicarbonate could eliminate the need to weigh it in the field. The quantity of  acetic acid will vary with differences in water pH. These differences will need  to be addressed in the field.  Fry Culture Technique Successful **By: Dr. Gerald M. Ludwig, Research Information Bulletin,  Fish Farming Experimental Laboratory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Stuttgart, AR   72160. (501) 673-4483** Culture of fishes including the striped bass and its  hybrids, walleye, true basses, and many of the endangered or threatened fishes  that begin as small fry or larvae require special production techniques and extremely  small zooplankton organisms for food. Commonly, the culturist endeavors to  produce these zooplankton when needed by a special regimen of pond filling and  fertilization to make the desired number and sizes of zooplankton available  when the larvae are ready to feed. More often than not, these organisms are not  available when required resulting in 90 to 100% mortality of the fry, probably  the result of starvation. Many factors and conditions can affect the availability of  the required food organisms. Water temperatures and changing weather conditions  are the most obvious, but even altered shipping schedules or delayed spawning  of the broodfish can make the best plans go awry. However, controlled  production of the larvae in indoor troughs and offering the larvae cultured  organisms of the particular sizes required can overcome many of the outdoor  production variables. We chose to grow the freshwater rotifer Branchionus  calyciflorus as the food organism because of its small size, ready acceptance  by larvae fishes, and potential for economical culture in large numbers. The  sunshine bass (hybrid of the male striped bass and the white bass) was selected  because of the extremely small size and fragility of the fry, and being  commercially-produced the fry were readily available for our use. Thus  successful growth of the sunshine bass in tanks and their being fed cultured  rotifers would prove the suitability of this technique for the improved  production of larvae fishes of the several species important to the nation's  preservation and restoration programs. **Freshwater Rotifers Cultured With Micro Algae** Resting cysts of freshwater rotifers Brachionus calyciflorus  were hatched in deionized water in small containers and then transferred to  larger vessels as their populations increased. Upon hatching, the rotifers were  fed microalgae, Nannocloris oculata, that had also been activated in deionized  water, fertilized with Guillard's F/2 formulation, exposed to intense light,  and progressively transferred to larger vessels. Rotorich (a yeast-based food  fortified with a vitamin mixture, microalgae, and essential trace nutrients)  was used in the larger cultures to supplement the microalgae. Average culture  temperatures were 26C. Total ammonia levels in the rotifer cultures were kept  below 5 mg/l by changing water and by using bags of zeolite to absorb the  ammonia. The mean maximum daily standing crop of rotifers obtained in the  largest cultures (70-l) was 380 rotifers/ml while the average daily  concentration of microalga in 200-l vessels was 2.9 million cells/ml. **Survival and Growth of Fry Determined** The survival and growth of sunshine bass fry that were fed  rotifers and later commercial fry starter meal was determined. Fifteen hundred  5-day-old fry, obtained from a commercial breeder, were stocked into each of  five (round) tanks filled with well water and kept under dim light. Average  daily water temperatures were 23C. Live rotifers were strained from their  cultures and added to three of the tanks each morning to return the rotifer  concentration to 20/ml (1.53 million/tank). Rotifers were offered from day 5  through day 27. On day 16 until day 27, the diet was supplemented by offering 3  times daily a 45% starter meal formulated for salmon. Frequency of the addition  of salmon meal was increased to 8 times daily from day 27 until the study was  concluded on day 41. **Rotifer Fed Fry Fare Well** The survival rate of the bass fry that were fed cultured  freshwater rotifers averaged 21.2% at day 20 and 20.6% by day 41 compared to  the 10% average in managed ponds. However, the trough-cultured fry grew slower  and reached only about 33% of the size of the pond reared fish at the end of  the 41 days. Possibly the slower growth rate was the result of a higher  standing crop in the troughs due to the greater survival, and that this  difference could be eliminated by additions of more rotifers and feed. The high survival rates indicate that raising sunshine bass  fry in tanks with cultured freshwater rotifers is a feasible alternative to  growing the fry in ponds. Successful culture of the very tiny and fragile  sunshine bass fry by the use of cultured freshwater rotifers suggests that this  technique is applicable to endangered or other species where it is desirable to  constantly monitor and protect the fry.  Cold Water Feeding of Trout **By: Aquaculture Magazine, January/February 1995** There are several things Dr. George W. Klontz,  Professor-Emeritus of Fisheries at the University of Idaho,  and other specialists recommend you do for cold water feeding. Some of the  benefits of their recommendations are: better feed conversion, less wasted  feed, more even growth, a higher quality product and more profits. The  following tips are a summary of their recommendations: **Double Vitamins** Many nutritionists recommend using feed containing a  "double vitamin pack" during periods of low feed intake due to cold  water (below 45F) temperatures. This can usually be obtained upon request from  your feed manufacturer. **Smaller Pellet Size** Since trout are feeding less aggressively during winter  months, tests have shown that dropping back one pellet size is beneficial. The  largest size feed for the larger fish should not exceed 1/8". This will  insure that more fish get their share of feed which later results in less size  variation. **Feed Slowly** Obviously, cold temperatures cause fish to feed more slowly.  Watch the fish while you feed them to make sure no feed falls to the bottom.  This ensures that less feed is wasted and that there is less accumulation of  unwanted waste in the raceways. **Feed By Mid-Day** When water temperature will be dropping into the 30's at  night, all feeding should be completed by mid-day. Feed when the water  temperature is rising, not when it is dropping in the late afternoon. The feed  will be utilized more efficiently because the initial digestion can take place  before the digestive activity is greatly reduced by colder temperatures. Reduce  or withhold feed the day before a strong cold front is forecast, which has the  potential of dropping the water temperature ten or more degrees Fahrenheit  within a few hours. **Alternate Feeding Days** When water temperatures remain in the 30's for several days  or weeks, some specialists recommend feeding every other day in order to obtain  a better feed conversion and to reduce labor. Feeding every day when the  metabolism is so low pushes the feed through the digestive system too fast for  maximum utilization.  Hatchery Tip **By: MTAN** **Hatchery Supplies:** Looking for some rearing tanks, feeders of other hard to  find equipment for your fish hatchery program? One of the references that the  MTAN often looks to is the "Aquaculture Magazine." You can start your  subscription by calling 704-254-7334 or reach them on the Internet at  www.aquaculturemag.com. **Transport or Hatchery Tanks:** Peterson Fiberglass, 300 Stariha Dr., Shell Lake,   WI 54871, 715-468-2306 Tubcraft, Baraga Industrial Park, Barage, MI,  906-353-7544 Reiff Manufacturing, Rt. 4-183, Walla Walla, WA 99362, 800-835-1081 Lance Industries, 4012    NC Hwy 304, Bayboro,   NC 28515,  919-745-4146 Aquaneering, 619-296-5330.  **Tank Water Heating System:** Cleveland Process Corp., Homestead, FL 33030, 800-241-0412. Micro-Optics, 800-776-1771.  **New Fish Feeder:** The MODEL 150 feeders by Water Management Technologies are  designed to deliver various feeds from starter through d" pellets. The  feeder quietly delivers feed in a 360 degree pattern, up to 30' diameter. It  features an adjustable metering plate and speed control. The MODEL 2000 feeder  features an adjustable speed control and is designed to deliver various feeds  (starter through 3/8" pellets), medications, and treatment chemicals. The  feeder delivers feed from just a few grams per day up to many pounds per hour.  This unique feeder can be quickly converted from a drop delivery to a broadcast  delivery with the optional MODEL 200 broadcast attachment. It is ideal for  raceways, ponds, and tanks. The MODEL 1000 timer offers 96 on/off switch actuators,  controlling up to 96 (15 minute) feeding periods per day. It can control up to  two Model 150 Maxi broadcast feeders or Model 2000 Accu-feed auger feeders. It  features a fully adjustable repeat-cycle to provide precise control of feed and  pause rate for intermittent feeding cycles. It features adjustable feeding  periods from 1 to 60 seconds, and adjustable pause times from 1 to 60 minutes.  For more information call 504-627-3930.  **Feed Sizes for Trout** **By: Skip Thompson** Feeding the correct feed size to trout is as important as  feeding the right amount. Incorrect feed size results in poor feed conversion  and substantial fish size variation. If the feed size is changed too soon, many  of the smaller trout are left behind. If allowed to continue, this can  potentially result in cannibalism as the larger trout reach a size where they  can eat the smaller fish. As trout fingerlings grow, the feed size which they can  consume obviously increases (see table below). To make informed decisions of  when to change feed sizes, sample counting is a necessity. Attempting to  visually determine the size of the trout is often misleading, resulting in poor  fish performance. Converting the trout to a larger and cheaper feed size seems  to make good sense. However, prematurely changing feed sizes based on the cost  of the feed without consideration to performance is not a good business  decision. Sample counting to check the size of the fish before making the feed  change is good business. If the sample count is close to the size specified for the  next feed size, keep the trout on the smaller feed for another week or two.  This will allow the smaller trout to grow to a suitable size for the next feed  size. If there is already a large size variation in a group of trout, grading  may be the best option. Remember to base your management decisions on what is  best for the trout and not what is easiest for you.    **Return
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          names mentioned in this publication are for informational purposes only.
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