FEED PREPARATION AND FEED MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES WITHIN SEMI-INTENSIVEFISH FARMING SYSTEMS IN THE TROPICS

Semi-intensive aquaculture, particularly in the tropics, accounts for nearly 70% of the finfish production of the world. The bulk of this pr oduction is based on a handful of species, the most important being th e cyprinid species, such as Chinese and Indian major carps, feeding lo w in the food chain. In the culture practices the endogenous food supp ly is known to play a major role, and equally the exogenous food suppl y is very diverse; the latter often ranging from simple mixes of ingre dients to pelleted feeds of various forms. The paper reviews the diffe rent feeding strategies currently employed within semi-intensive farmi ng systems for warm-water fish species, including on-farm preparation techniques and management practices. Particular emphasis is placed on the important role played by natural food organisms in the overall nut ritional budget of pond-raised fish and the need to reduce food and fe eding costs through the use of improved pond fertilization, feed formu lation, food preparation, and on-farm feed and water management techni ques. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.