82' 

 42' 

 30" 



N. 



\{5^J^^4^^P^ 



27'39' W. 



Figure ll,~Location of pompano pond in Fort De Soto Park, Fla. 



evaluation of this newly developed toxicant 

 showed that it was effective in killing 38 

 species of fish (table 6). The degree of 

 sensitivity of the fish to the toxin varied 

 among species, genera, and families. Eleven 

 species of fish survived Antimycin at a con- 

 centration of 7 p.p.b. Fintrol-15 killed pom- 

 pano at 15 p.p.b. These prelinninary results 

 indicate that Antimycin may prove useful in 

 aquaculture; it has little effect on mollusks 

 and crustaceans, and selective fish kills can 

 be obtained by controlling the concentration. 

 Detoxification took only 4 to 5 days, and stock- 

 ing of pompano was possible within a week 

 after poisoning. 



To determine the suitability of diets for 

 rearing pompano, a dry ration containing 40 

 percent protein was fed experimentally to 

 6,000 juveniles for 6 months (June-December). 

 This commercial floating food (Trout Chow) 

 is available in various grades and was fed 

 mainly from an automatic feeder. The amount 

 of food fed daily was governed by the average 

 body weight of the fish. As a starting diet, 

 pompano (25-75 mm. long) were fed about 10 

 percent of their body weight six times daily 



for about a month. This amount was later 

 reduced to 5 percent for the next 3 months 

 and then to 2 percent for the rest of the 

 year. (Feeding frequency for the last 5 months 

 was three times daily, 6 days a week.) 

 Pompano readily adjusted to a dry ration, but 

 in October we noted that fat had infiltrated 

 the livers. This caused excessive mortality, 

 and we ended the experiment in December. 



In continuing pompano studies, we began in 

 1968 to compare a wet ration (cod) with the 

 day ration. Juvenile fish are being confined 

 in pens (7.9 by 13.9 m.) in the pond. Our pri- 

 mary purpose is to raise fish to market 

 size as economically and rapidly as possible. 



Growth of young pompano in the first ex- 

 periments (1967) was rapid: during a 6-month 

 period from June through December, average 

 monthly gains were about 30 mm. in length 

 and 27 g. (grams) in weight. The greatest 

 average monthly weight gain was 86 g. in 

 November. By December the largest speci- 

 mens weighed over 300 g. The length-weight 

 curve of captive fish was similar to that of 

 wild stock. From these data it appears pos- 

 sible to grow pomipano to market size of 



12 



