Publication Date

10-1998

Series Number

112

Publisher

Fisheries Western Australia

City

Perth, Western Australia

ISBN

0 7309 1984 6

ISSN

1035 - 4549

Abstract

Farmers receive higher prices per kilo for large yabbies. Yabby farmers have reported that the majority of yabbies trapped from farm dams are below market size (< 30 g) and therefore of no economic value. In addition, farmers also report that while dams produce large yabbies when first harvested, after a number of years the proportion of large animals gradually decreases.

To identify why yabbies in farm dams stunted and how farmers could increase the size of small yabbies the project had three main experimental areas.

Research station experiments: A field research station consisting of 25 ponds was constructed for running replicated, randomised and reproducible experiments, with controls, in an environment that simulated farm dams. In addition, these ponds were large enough to provide an adequate sample number of yabbies at realistic industry stocking densities. At this facility researchers investigated feed types, feed rates, stocking densities, mono-sex culture, chemical additives and trapping.

Industry farm dam recording system: Researchers worked with farmers to establish a recording system covering the 750,000 km2 yabby harvesting region in WA. Farmers maintained logbooks of yabby harvests, feeding regime and management practices. Researchers recorded physical, biological and chemical parameters from each dam. Logbook information provided industry data on factors affecting yabby yields and results of technology transfer from the research station. Genetics and

Reproduction Laboratory: Yabbies were collected from around Australia and transported alive back to a secure quarantine laboratory in Perth. The yabby strains were compared under identical controlled conditions to evaluate the relative aquaculture potential of both different “varieties” and hybrids, in particular size, growth, size/age at sexual maturity and sex ratio.

Number of Pages

134

Keywords

Cherax albidus, crayfish culture, pond culture, aquaculture techniques, feeding, stocking density, reproduction, hybrid culture.

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Research Methods in Life Sciences

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