Structural and Bio-Technical Aspects of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)Farms in Turkey

Authors: FERİT RAD, GÜLTEN KÖKSAL

Abstract: Structural and bio-technical aspects of Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792) farms in Turkey were surveyed and their performance was assessed in this study. Stratified Random Sampling was applied and relevant data were collected from 24 small, 8 medium and 8 large-scale farms using questionnaires. Collected data were processed to compute the mean values for small, medium and large-scale farms and for the sector as a whole. The mean volume of rearing facilities in the small, medium and large-scale farms were computed to be 1,275.5 m^3, 2,901.0 m^3 and 11,818.0 m^3 respectively while the general average was found to be 1,754.5 m^3. Ninety-three percent of the farms have hatchery units and produce their own fingerlings, while 7% run only on-growing activities. The mean capacity utilizations in the small, medium and large-scale farms were found to be 95.0%, 89.5% and 85.0% respectively. The national average capacity utilization was 94.0%. The average brood stock per farm was found to be 573.0, while the mean fecundity was determined as 2 168.0 ova/female. The mean bio-technical performances in terms of survival rate were computed to be 41.0% in the small and 48.0% in the medium and large-scale farms, with the general mean being 42.0%. Furthermore, the bio-technical performances of small, medium and large-scale farms in terms of mean water utilization efficiency, harvesting density and feed conversion ratio were computed to be 156.0 kg/L/sec, 161.0 kg/L/sec, and 249.0 kg/L/sec; 15.8 kg/m^3, 16.3 kg/m^3, and 21.8 kg/m^3, and 1.6, 1.45, and 1.42 respectively. The general averages for the above-mentioned criteria were found to be 159.0 kg/L/sec, 16.0 kg/m^3 and 1.57 respectively.

Keywords: Rainbow trout farms, structural aspects, bio-technical performance

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