DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Title

Bird Predation and Its Control at Aquaculture Facilities in the Northeastern United States

Authors

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

June 1997

The northeastern aquaculture industry, centered in Pennsylvania and New York, consists primarily of trout production, but local facilities also produce a number of warm-water species, including bait fish, catfish, and goldfish. There are several different culturing methods for producing these fish.

Although trout culturing occurs primarily in concrete and earthen raceways, it also occurs in ponds that are sometimes used for pay-to-fish sites. Narrow concrete raceways are usually set in rows over a small rectangular area, whereas earthen raceways are more linear and resemble a series of interconnected ponds that can meander over a large geographic area. Warm-water fish species are almost always produced in ponds. Aquaculture facilities vary in size from farms with a single 0.1-acre pond to several acres of concrete or earthen raceways to more than 100 acres of ponds.

The diversity of northeastern aquaculture and the adaptability of bird species to exploit this resource has led to correspondingly diverse bird-predation problems. Several integrated approaches are needed to alleviate these problems.

The following information will help producers identify and assess predation losses caused by primary bird predators as well as suggest species-specific control measures that are also cost effective for reducing these losses.