Their incubation is done in hatching jars that simulate their natural incubation requirements. Baby fry live off the egg yolk for several days while technicians tend them in aquariums. When fry are ready to start eating, they are transferred to hatchery ponds where technicians manage conditions to promote continued growth. In nature, catfish eggs are bound in a gelatinous glob. Technicians dissolve eggs from this gel so they can be incubated in the same apparatuses used for other species.
Carp require an extra step of care too.
Their blood is tested by a very sophisticated instrument to verify chromosomal triploidy. Every grass carp delivered from Richloam is certified in such a manner to ensure that only sterile fish are carried to public waters. Lake Parker 10,000 Tenoroc Fish Mgt.