Annual Report Seabass (2023-24)

Development of Mariculture Practice of Seabass (Lates calcarifer)
in the South-West Coast of Bangladesh (Component-C)
Annual Progress Report

(July 2023 -June 2024)
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute

Riverine Sub-Station, Khepupara, Patuakhali-8650
1
Development of Mariculture Practice of Seabass (Lates calcarifer) in the
South-West Coast of Bangladesh (Component-C)
Project Co-ordinator : Dr. Md. Amirul Islam, CSO, Riverine Station, Chandpur
Principal Investigator : Aovijite Bosu, SSO
Co-investigator : Dr. Mohammed Ashraful Haque, SSO
Md. Monjurul Hasan, SSO
Md. Rahamat Ullah, SO
Farhana Yasmin, SO
Objectives
 To develop cage culture technique of Seabass in coastal water of Bangladesh
 To study the growth and survival rate of Seabass in net cages and pond
Expected Outputs
The research findings will pave the way for grow-out culture operations in both coastal and
inland areas of Bangladesh as well as it will be helpful for the conservation of Seabass in
nature. Development and subsequent extension of captive breeding and culture techniques
will also help in the conservation of seabass in natural conditions.
Achievements (2023-2024)
Experiment I: Study on Growth and Survival of Seabass in Cage Based on Weight of
Fish
Selection of study area
Experiment was carried out in protected area of the Andharmanik River, near to the Riverine Sub-
Station, Khepupara, Patuakhali. The site located in an area where influence of tidal fluctuation is not
pronounced with salinity ranging from 05-15 ppt and is suitable for Seabass culture. The site is far
from the area where biofoulers abound and far from the sources of domestic, industrial and
agricultural pollution and other environmental hazards.
Cage culture management and techniques

Prior to stocking Seabass juvenile in cages, fish was acclimatized to the ambient temperature
and salinity prevailing in the cages. Weight ranges from 50-150g of wild Seabass fry was
stock in the early mornings (0600–0800 hours) or late in the evening (2000-2200 hours),
when the temperature is cooler. Stocking was done through following design.
Table 1: Experimental design with stocking rate of sea bass
SL No. Treatment Name Weight(g) Stocking
density(Nos/m3)
1 T1 50
2 T2 100 1.5fish/m3
3 T3 150
*All treatments were 3 replications
2
Feeds and feeding
Feed is the major constraint confronting the Seabass culture industry. Different types of feed
were applied. Feed was provided twice daily in the morning at 08:00 hours and afternoon at
17:00 hours as overall rate of 3-5% of total biomass.
Fig. Pictorial view of feeding of seabass and feeding biology observation
Fish cage management

Regular observation of cages was done. Since fish cages were immersed under water all the
time, they are vulnerable to destruction by aquatic animals such as crabs, otter, etc. If
damaged, they were repaired immediately or replaced with a new one. In addition to
biofouling, the net walls of cages were subjected to siltation and clogging. Biofouling is
unavoidable since the net walls usually represent a convenient surface for attachment by
organisms such as amphipod, polycheate, barnacles, molluscan spats, etc. These could lead to
clogging and reduce exchange of water and may result in unnecessary stress to the cultured
fish due to low oxygen and accumulation of wastes. Feeding and growth would likewise be
affected. Mechanical cleaning of fouled nets was done frequently.
Water Quality and growth parameters monitoring:
Water quality parameters viz., pH, Dissolve Oxygen, Salinity, Ammonia, Alkalinity etc of
different cage were monitored weekly.
Fish Growth parameters
Growth of Seabass was monitored monthly. Length of fish were measured by measuring scale
and weighed by digital weighing machine. The following parameters were used to calculate
the growth of fish such as length gain (cm), weight gain (g), percent weight gain, food
conversion ratio (FCR), survival rate (%) and production of fish (Kg/m3).
Length gain
3
Length gain was calculated using the following formula:
Length gain (cm) =Mean final length (cm)-Mean initial length (cm)
Weight gain
Weight gain was calculated using the following formula:
Weight gain (g) = mean final Wight (g) – mean initial weight (g)
Feed conversion ratio
FCR was expressed by the rate of food consumed to weight gain was determined by the
following formula:
FCR= Feed fed / live weight gain
Survival rate
Survival rate of fish was calculated from the number of fish of particular species harvested at
the end of the experiment. The survival rate was estimated by the following formulae:
Survival rate= (no. of fish harvested / no. of fish stocked) x100
Specific growth rate (% per day)
Specific growth rate was calculated by the following formulae:
Specific growth rate (SGR %)=(ln W2-ln W1 / culture period)x100
Whereas, W2= mean final weight (g), W1= mean initial weight (g)
Fish Production
The production of fish was determined by multiplying the mean increased weight (g) of fish
by the total number of caught fish. Production was calculated by the following formula:
Fish production= No. of fish caught × Mean increased weight (g)
Data analysis:
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version v25.0 and Microsoft Office
365 were used to analyze the data.
Results
Study on Growth and Survival of Seabass in Cage Based on Weight of Fish
Rearing of Seabass fry in net cages

Selection of study area
Experiment was carried out in protected area of the Andharmanik River, near to the Riverine
Sub-Station, Khepupara, Patuakhali. The site should preferably locate in an area where
influence of tidal fluctuation is not pronounced with salinity ranging from 02-15 ppt and is
suitable for seabass culture.
Collection and stocking of Seabass fry
Prior to stocking seabass in cages, fish was acclimatized to the ambient temperature and
salinity prevailing in the cages. Different size (50-150gm) wild seabass fry stocked in the
early mornings (0600–0800 hours) when the temperature is cooler. Stocking was done
through following design.
Table 2: Experimental design with stocking rate of Seabass
SL No. Treatment Name Weight(g) Stocking
density(Nos/m3)
1 T1 50
2 T2 100 1.5 fish/m3
3 T3 150
*All treatments have 3 replications
Water quality parameters of the cage site of the Andhermanik River
4
Water quality parameters of the cage site of the Andhermanik River are shown in Table 3.
Water quality parameters viz., pH, Dissolve Oxygen, Salinity, Ammonia, Alkalinity etc of
different cage was monitored bi-weekly.
Table 3. Water quality parameters of Andharmanik River
Month Water PH Ammonia Salinity DO

Temperature (oC) (ppm) (ppt) (ppm)
July 2023 31.2 7.5 0.02 1.83 5.83
Aug 2023 28.3 7.43 0.02 1.71 5.62
Sep 2023 32.4 7.14 0.03 2.23 6.21
Oct 2023 30.7 7.26 0.01 4.74 5.36
Nov 2023 26.7 7.75 0.02 6.65 5.32
Dec 2023 23.8 7.43 0.01 8.82 6.21
Jan 2024 21.5 7.61 0.02 11.54 5.47
Feb 2024 22.84 7.8 0.02 12.65 5.53
Mar 2024 29.43 7.41 0.03 11.78 6.32
Apr 2024 33.6 7.62 0.02 9.62 6.27
May 2024 35.8 7.50 0.01 6.9 6.58
June 2024 31.1 7.50 0.01 5.12 5.76
Mean±SD 28.94±3.93 7.49 ± 0.23 0.01±0.005 6.965±4.6 5.873±0.4
4 7
Fig. Pictorial view of Water quality parameter monitoring
Growth Parameters Monitoring

Growth of seabass was monitored monthly. Length of fish was measured by measuring scale
and weighed by digital weighing machine.
5
Fig. Pictorial view of length-weight measurement of seabass
Growth performances of Seabass in the net cages
From the results, it was observed that different size fish had an effect on the growth of
Seabass (Table 4). The highest Length gain, Weight gain, SGR, Survival rate and Production
was obtained in T3 than in other treatments.
Table 4. Growth performances of Seabass at the net cages in the Andharmanik river
Parameters T1 T2 T3
Culture period (days) 240 240 240
Total stocked fingerling 96 96 96
Initial avg. length (cm) 10.2±0.82 13.7±2.7 17.6±2.6
Final avg. length (cm) 31.8±4.56 37±5.12 41.2±4.56
Initial avg. weight (g) 50.6±0.56 101.7±1.84 150.6±7.5
Final avg. weight (g) 1397.09±105.38 1553±115.78 1806.69±321.84
Length gain (cm) 21.6±3.25b 23.3±2.96a 24.6±3.25a
Weight gain (g) 1346.49±65.38c 1452.40±97.72b 1656.09±105.38
a
SGR (%) 1.63±0.07c 1.72±0.09b 1.81±0.11a

Survival rate (%) 81.37±1.25c 88.13±2.5b 90.65±1.4a
Production (Kg/m3) 1.64±0.08c 1.92±0.14b 2.25±0.18a
6
Table 5: Benefit-cost analysis of Seabass farming at the net cages in the Andharmanik river
Income expenditure T1 T2 T3
details
Cost per cage
Cage preparation 35,000/- 35,000/- 35,000/-

Fingerlings 5760/- 8,640/- 11,520/-
Feeds 16640/- 24960/- 33280/-
miscellaneous 12,000/- 12,000/- 12,000/-
Total cost 69400/- 80,600/- 91,800/-
Income per cage
Income from selling fish 81,505/- 108,456/- 120,560/-
(800 BDT/kg)
Probable profit (income- 12,105/- 27,816/- 28,760/-
cost)
Benefit cost ratio (BCR) 1:1.17c 1:1.34a 1:1.31b
---------------------- ---------------------------
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Development of Mariculture Practice of Seabass (Lates calcarifer)

in the South-West Coast of Bangladesh (Component-C)

Annual Progress Report

Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute

Cage culture management and techniques

Fig. Pictorial view of feeding of seabass and feeding biology observation

Fish cage management

Rearing of Seabass fry in net cages

Month Water PH Ammonia Salinity DO

Fig. Pictorial view of Water quality parameter monitoring

Growth Parameters Monitoring

Growth performances of Seabass in the net cages

SGR (%) 1.63±0.07c 1.72±0.09b 1.81±0.11a

Cage preparation 35,000/- 35,000/- 35,000/-

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