The fishes we raise and sell in our farms are:
1:Grass Carp
2:Common Carp
3:BigHead Carp
4:Tilapia
Introduction
Grass Carp
The grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a large, herbivorous, freshwater fish species of the family Cyprinidae native to eastern Asia, with an original range from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Siberia-China border. This Asian carp is the only species of the genus Ctenopharyngodon.
It is cultivated in China for food, but was introduced in Europe and the United States for aquatic weed control, becoming the species of fish with the largest reported production in aquaculture globally, over five million tonnes per year.
The grass carp is a fish of large, turbid rivers and associated floodplain lakes, with a wide degree of temperature tolerance. Grass carp enter reproductive condition and spawn at temperatures of 20 to 30 °C (68 to 86 °F).
Common Carp
The Eurasian or European carp (Cyprinus carpio), formerly known as the Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.
The native wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but the species has also been domesticated and introduced (see aquaculture) into environments worldwide, and is often considered a destructive invasive species, being included in the list of the world's 100 worst invasive species. It gives its name to the carp family, Cyprinidae.
Bighead Carp
The bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) is a species of freshwater fish, one of several Asian carps. It is one of the most intensively exploited fishes in aquaculture, with an annual worldwide production of over three million tonnes in 2013, principally from China.[2]
The bighead carp has a large, scaleless head, a large mouth, and eyes located very low on the head. Adults usually have a mottled silver-gray coloration. It is a large fish; a typical length is 60 cm (2 ft), and maximum observed size of 146 cm (4 ft 9 in) and 40 kg (88 lb).[3]
Bighead carp are native to the large rivers and associated floodplain lakes of eastern Asia. Their range extends from southern China north to the Amur River system, which forms the border between China and Russia.[4] They have been introduced widely outside their native range, including the United States, and they are considered invasive,[3] as they out-compete native species (e.g. Bigmouth Buffalo).[5]
The bighead carp has a very fast growth rate, which makes it a lucrative aquaculture fish. Unlike the common carp, bighead carp are primarily filter feeders. They preferentially consume zooplankton, but also phytoplankton and detritus.
Tilapia
Tilapia is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes, with the economically most important species placed in the Coptodonini and Oreochromini.
When farms raise the tilapia in proper conditions, they are safe to eat. People should be sure to store it properly and cook it thoroughly before eating. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists tilapia as one of the best fish choices for pregnant or breastfeeding women and children over the age of 2 years.
Tilapia are mainly freshwater fish inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes, and less commonly found living in brackish water. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisanal fishing in Africa, and they are of increasing importance in aquaculture and aquaponics.
Tilapia in the wild feed on algae, but on farms they are reared on corn or soybean meal. However, when no other feed is provided, they will eat “poop.” There have been instances where fish farms in Asia were found to be feeding poultry, sheep or hog manure to tilapia.
