Two experiments were performed to study the effect of stocking rate and growing season on the performance of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). In the first experiment, a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement was used to study the effect of two stoking rates (0.50 and 0.75 fishes/m²) and two subsequently growing seasons (with five and four month of duration time, respectively). In the second experiment, two stoking rates were compared (0.50 and 0.75 fishes/m²) in a growing season equivalent to a sum of the two growing season of the first experiment. In the first experiment, there was a significant effect for growing seasons in relation to the individual weight gain, average weight, final biomass and biomass gain. The effect of stoking rate was only observed for final biomass and biomass gain, with non-interactive effect between the two studied factors. The final individual weight and weight gain in the growing season of five months with the stoking rate of 0.50 and 0.75 fishes/m2 were 608.1 and 531.4 g; 550.2 and 473.5 g, respectively. In the subsequently growing season of four months were 274.2 and 88.3 g, 211.3 and 183.2 g, for the two stoking rates, respectively. At the initial growing season the final biomass and biomass gain values were, respectively, 298.0 and 262.1 g/m², 397.9 and 354.5 g/m², for the two stoking rates, respectively. In the subsequently growing season were 132.9 and 89.9 g/m² and 179.9 and 119.9 g/m², for the two stoking rates, respectively. In the second experiment, there was no effect for the studied characteristics and the values for the individual final weight, weight gain, final biomass and biomass gain were, respectively, for 0.50 and 0.75 fishes/m2 socking rates, 941.1 and 758.1 g; 885.1 and 701.2 g; 491.7 and 578.1 g/m²; 463.1 and 535.4 g/m². The average survival was 98.0% and the water physical-chemical characteristics were considered normal. It was concluded that it is viable to produce the Ictalurus punctatus under the climatic conditions where they were performed.
catfish; fish nutrition; fish production; stoking rate
