Success Story for Extension work done in collaboration between Kentucky State University Aquaculture Research Center and USDA ARS Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center in Arkansas.

Dr. Robert Durborow, collaborating with KSU Aquaculture genetics researcher Dr. Boris Gomelsky and USDA ARS scientist Dr. David Straus, helped to facilitate a major Arkansas fish farm (Keo Fish Farm) to increase their hybrid striped bass production by 20% by implementing a new technique using milk to prevent fish eggs from being sticky. Following is an email message from Dr. Straus to me explaining how the KSU/USDA ARS collaboration benefitted the Arkansas fish farm:

Last time I saw you before a NOLA was when I came up there and Boris showed me his milk treatment for sticky fish eggs.  I came back to Keo Fish Farm and over the next few years used that in a study with 14 other compounds to prevent clumping in my experimental hatching system. 

Milk was best and now Keo only uses milk instead of tannic acid when incubating their sunshine bass embryos.  Mike Freeze estimates a 20% increase in production.  You may have seen the recent blurb that Paul Z. with NAA put out last week.  (I’ll forward it to you in a minute).  

My twist to it was seeing a can of evaporated milk at Walmart and had one of those moments when you hit your head because it's so simple.  It’s a lot easier to pull a can of evaporated milk off the shelf than going to the store to buy a fresh carton; especially if you don’t have any grocery stores in the vicinity, and most hatcheries are in the boonies.

 So, I need to talk to Boris to find what pub I can cite it in addition to him (I found a few of his, but he doesn’t cite anyone).  I'm pretty sure it is eastern european/Russian.  But thanks to the cold War, we never saw it published. 

Thanks  

Dave
 

David L. Straus, Ph.D.

Past-President of the US Aquaculture Society

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS)

Harry K. Dupree – Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center (SNARC)

2955 Hwy 130 East

Stuttgart, Arkansas  72160 

USA

Mobile Phone: (870) 659-0206

Office Phone: (870) 672-8265