Progress 01/01/13 to 12/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Diverse audiences are involved, including crawfish and alligator producers, extension professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public. Crawfish farming generates an annual economic impact of over $200 million within Louisiana, most of which benefits rural communities. Alligator and turtle aquaculture generate impacts of over $130 and $6 million, respectively. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Students are involved in the projects and are trained in various procedures. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Meetings with industry organizations, such as the Chelonian Board, the Crawfish Promotion and Research Board, and the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Aquaculture Advisory Board, were used to disseminate information. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Data analysis of yields, timing and seasonal price trends indicated significantly higher yields and profits associated with the use of bull tongue as a forage to support crawfish production. Results have been presented to industry and are being formatted for submission to a refereed journal. Adult bowfin fish were shown to eradicate crawfish populations in experiemental ponds, but reliable spawning was not achieved. Little new data were generated to allow for analyses of biological and economic relationships in crawfish farming, but analyses continueon a database of harvest data covering 24 seasons from 6 commercial-scale crawfish ponds.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2016. Antimicrobials in aquaculture research opportunities. Aquaculture Magazine 42(3):66-67.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2016. New fish virus threatens global tilapia stocks. Aquaculture Magazine 42(3):68-70.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2016. Genes change... or, concerns over genetic sustainability. Aquaculture Magazine 42(5):50-53.
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Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Diverse audiences are involved, including crawfish and alligator producers, extension professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public. Crawfish farming generates an annual economic impact of over $200 million within Louisiana, most of which benefits rural communities. Alligator and turtle aquaculture generate impacts of over $130 and $6 million, respectively. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Personal contacts with producers, site visits, small group meetings and an industry magazine. The bulk of results are still preliminary at this time. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Less focus on generatingnew data and more effort to compile and analyze existing data to allow for basic characterizationof the relationships between total yields, seasonalityof harvests, input costs and basic economic indicators of profitability.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Six established crawfish ponds (4.5 - 5 acres each) were used for the evaluation of bull tongue as an alternative forage, with three ponds planted in a mixture of rice and bull tongue and three ponds planted in a mixture of natural vegetation, rice and sorghum sudangrass. Ponds were managed similarly, and harvests and water quality were recorded throughout the season to allow for comparisons between these forage treatments. Yields were low and variable, and statistical comparisons are focusing on the economic implications of timing of harvests. Ten fiberglass pools were planted with bull tongue or maiden cane (5 replicates each), flooded and stocked with hatchling red swamp crawfish. Crawfish will be harvested as they attain appropriate size using commercial pyramid traps, until June 2016 at which time pools will be drained and all remaining crawfish removed by hand. Adult bowfin fish were maintained in spawning groups (2-4 males and 3-8 females per group depending on pond size) in a total of 11 separate ponds ranging from 0.1 to 1.2 acres. Limited evidence of reproduction was observed in February and March, and spawning will be monitored again in an effort to obtain juveniles for evaluation as a natural predator to eradicate nuisance white river crawfish in commercial ponds. Additional work with red-ear slider turtles involved collection of mature animals for follow-on studies of the use of hormone-coupled lytic peptides to effectively sterilize these animals. Analyses continued on a database of harvest data covering 24 seasons from 6 commercial-scale crawfish ponds. Seasonal harvest patterns in yield and size at harvest have required manipulation of the available data, which is still ongoing. Little new data were generated in order to allow for analyses of biological and economic relationships in crawfish.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2015. Crawfish farming: not for the faint-hearted. Fish Farming International. Electronic edition January 2015. http://fishfarminginternational.com/crawfish-farming-not-for-the-faint-hearted/
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2015. Louisianas turtle hatchling industry struggling to survive. Aquaculture Magazine 40(6):14-17.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2015. Saltwater tilapia production: whats stopping us? Fish Farming International. Electronic edition February 2015. http://fishfarminginternational.com/saltwater-tilapia-production-whats-stopping-us/
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2015. Liming ponds. Aquaculture Magazine 40(6):68-69.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2015. Lobster aquaculture: from the past to the future. Aquaculture Magazine 41(1): 8-11.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2015. Genetic improvement considerations for small producers. Aquaculture Magazine 41(1): 69-75.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2015. Tilapia: options for selection programs. Aquaculture Magazine 41(5):62-67.
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Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Diverse audiences were reached, including crawfish and alligator producers, extension professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public. Crawfish farming generates an annual economic impact of over $200 million within Louisiana, most of which benefits rural communities. Alligator and turtle aquaculture generates economic impacts of over $130 million and $6 million, respectively. Changes/Problems: Production for the 2013-2014 crawfish season was unusually low throughout the industry and in particular at our research facility. This resulted in atypical data which may or may not be of use as biological and economic relationships are investigated over the coming months. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Personal contacts with producers, site visits, small group meetings and an industry newsletter. The bulk of results are still preliminary at this time. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Generate new data and compile existing data to allow for basic modelling of the relationships between total yields, seasonality of harvests, and basic economic indicators for crawfish production. Publish results of turtle research.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A comprehensive database of harvest data covering 24 seasons from 6 commercial-scale crawfish ponds was compiled; and analyses have begun to generate a series of scenarios relating seasonal harvest patterns to size at harvest, prevailing farm-gate prices, and the potential for targeted harvesting efforts at key periods during the season in order to maximize profitability. Additional new data were generated in order to allow for analyses of biological and economic relationships in crawfish production. Data collection relating to mortality rates of turtle hatchlings under different transport conditions was completed, and results are being prepared for publication.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Lutz, C. G. 2014. The National Aquaculture Association: Recent Outreach Activities in Support of U.S. Aquaculture. Aquaculture Magazine 40(2):8-11.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Lutz, C. G. 2014. U.S. Industry Coalition Launched to Advocate for Expansion of Domestic Aquaculture. Aquaculture Magazine 40(2): 12-15.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2014. Inbreeding. Aquaculture Magazine 40(3):68-71.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2014. Breeding the Asian Catfishes Pangasius bocourti and Pangasius hypophthalmus. Aquaculture Magazine 40(4):42-45.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2014. Crab Farming. Aquaculture Magazine 40(5):8-13.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2014. Blue Ridge Aquaculture Story. Aquaculture Magazine 40(5):14-17.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. 2014. Triploidy Background and Rationale. Aquaculture Magazine 40(5):72-75.
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Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience includes aquacultural scientists within and outside Louisiana, as well as crawfish, alligator and turtle producers within the state. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Field agents with the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and Sea Grant Marine Extension Program were hosted for a tour of alligator research facilities and an update on the most recent research findings pertaining to the research data referred to in this report. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results to date have been disseminated through scientific and popular articles and directly to alligator, crawfish and turtle producers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Crawfish research results will be interpreted, summarized and distributed through a regular industry newsletter. Alligator and turtle information will be presented to the comodiity boards and general membership meetings.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Important information was generated regarding the biological and economic impacts of secondary and tertiary recruitment in commercial crawfish production. Gross revenue was increased by up to $1400 per hectare when harvesting effort was managed to maximize yields from these age classes. If these findings were applied to only 20% of Louisiana's 73,000 hectares of crawfish production, an additional $20.4 million of revenue would be generated. 2. The resultant impacts of protein levels on the production environment for farmed alligators were summarized to allow additional information for decision making regarding dietary inputs for commercial production. The potential reduction of feeding costs, in conjunction with improved environmental (and, accordingly, hide) quality, could translate to an additional $9 million in profit when applied to the 600,000-plus alligators currently on farms in Louisiana.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Lutz, C.G. and M. Richard. 2013. Impacts of Secondary and Tertiary Recruitment on Overall Production and Yield of Procambarus clarkii (Girard) under Simulated Commercial Conditions. Freshwater Crayfish 19(1):1-6.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Reigh, R.C., M.B. Williams and C.G. Lutz. 2013. Dietary Needs of Farm-Raised Alligators. Louisiana Agriculture 56(3):6-8.
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