FISH ENEMIES
FISH ENEMIES
• IN FISH CULTURE FISH HAVE MANY ENEMIES.
• They are found among:
1. INSECTS
2. FISH
3. AMPHIBIANS
4. REPTILES
5. BIRDS
6. MAMMALS.
FISH ENEMIES
• THEY CAN BE DIVIDED BETWEEN:
1. PERMANENT ENEMIES (OF EGGS, FRY AND ADULTS),
2. OCASIONAL ENEMIES
3. AND THOSE COMPETING FOR FOOD
Harmful Insect and Insect Larvae
• Juvenile fish, eggs and fish just hatched.
Great Diving water
beetles
Great Diving water beetles
• The larvae and adult great
diving beetle are
carnivorous.
• Eat Fry
• Adult diving beetles
breathe by storing oxygen
in a bubble underneath
their wing cases
• Very voracious
Great Diving water beetles
•Larvae do not have mouth
• Larvae have two powerful
hollow mandibles
•Injecting enzymes into the
body. These enzymes
dissolve the victim's
internal organs
•Larvae suck victims
leaving only skin
Black Water Beetle
Black Water Beetle
• ADULTS 40-50mm
• ADULTS- NOT HARMFUL
• ADULTS- VEGETARIAN
• LARVAE 60-80 mm
• VERY STRONG PREDATORS
• CAN DESTROY A LOT OF FRY
WATER BUGS
• Giant water bugs prey on a
surprising variety of aquatic life,
including tadpoles, small fishes,
insects, and other arthropods.
• UNDESIRABLE
COMPETITORS FOR FOOD
• MOST HARMFUL ARE:
Naucoris cimicoides -15 mm
Notonecta glauca- 15 mm
Nepa cinerea
Naucoris cimicoides
Ventral view (left) Dorsal view (right)
Notonecta glauca
Excellent back swimmer
Nepa cinerea
Water scorpion
Predatory Fishes
• They are carnivorous in nature.
• There are numerous predators which pray on small
fishes than on larger ones.
• They also compete for oxygen, space and feed.
VORACIOUS FISH
DEFINITIONS:
• Consuming or eager to consume great amounts of food.
• Having or marked by an insatiable appetite for an activity
or pursuit; greedy.
FOLLOWING ARE SOME VORACIOUS FISH:
• PIKE
• PIKE-PERCH
• PERCH
Pike
Pike consume large numbers of smaller fish - about 90
percent of their diet
Perch
PIKE-PERCH
LESS VORACIOUS FISH
LESS VORACIOUS ARE THOSE WHICH:
IN PARTICULAR ARE COMPETITORS OF FOOD
GET INTO UNPROTECTED PONDS
INCLUDE:
• Black bullhead (Ictalurus melas) in Europe
• Hemichromis spcs in Africa
Black bullhead (Ictalurus melas)
• They live in a variety of habitats
including brackish and/or low
oxygenated ponds rivers and
lakes.
• They tend to avoid freely flowing
waters.
• They are bottom feeders and eat
almost anything including dead
fish, insects, other fish,
grain, and crayfish.
• They most often feed at night.
Black bullhead (Ictalurus melas)
Hemichromis spcs (cichlid)
• Feed on small fishes.
EEL Fish
• Eels are primarily
predatory fish with
carnivorous diets.
• Some eel species are
cannibalistic.
• Their diet typically
consists of smaller
fish, invertebrates,
crustaceans, shrimp,
crabs and sea urchins
HARMFUL AMPHIBIANS
• As adult and larvae, amphibians are harmful to pond
culture.
• They compete fish for food.
• Frogs and snakes destroy larval and juvenile fish.
• Crocodiles, alligators and large lizards eat all types of fish.
• Turtles prey on fish.
FROGS
Snake
Crocodiles and Alligators
Large lizards
Turtles
HARMFUL BIRDS
• Birds eat all types of fish and at all stages especially in shallow
waters.
• A NUMBER OF ICTHYOPHAGOUS WATER FOWLS:
• KINGFISHERS
• GREY HERONS
• DUCKS
Many other WATER BIRDS ARE HARMFUL TO THE FISH
PONDS
WATER HENS AND SWANS however are vegetarian and
do not destroy the fry.
KINGFISHER
KINGFISHER (Aleedo athis L.)
• BEAUTIFUL BLUE-GREEN BIRD WITH IRRIDESCENT
GLINTS
• MEASURES FROM 16-17 cm IN LENGTH, HAS STRONG
AND POINTED BEAK
• FAST FLYER AND SKIMS OVER WATER
• PERCHES ON POSTS, BRANCHES OR TREE TRUNKS
• PLUNGES LIKE LIGHTNING ON ITS PREY
• PREY ARE SMALL FISH FROM 4-7 cm.
• IT CAN SWALLOW FROM 10-12 A DAY
GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea L.)
• LARGE BIRD WITH LONG LEGS, NECK AND BEAK
• CAN MEASURE UP TO 1 m.
• LIVE ROUND SHALLOW WATERS
• SHOWS PERFECT CAPTURING TACTICS
• CAN SWALLOW WHOLE FISH BETWEEN 15 AND 20 CM
• DESTROY GREAT QUANTITIES OF FISH
GREY HERON
DUCKS
• DUCKS DISTURB THE FISH BY THEIR UNCEASING
COMING AND GOING
• THEY DESTROY THE SPAWN AND FRY ON SPAWNING
BEDS & IN FRY PONDS
• THEY CAN BE USEFUL IN GROWING PONDS TOO AS
THEIR EXCREMENT ACTS AS FERTILIZER
DUCKS
SWANS
• LIVE OFF WATER
VEGETATION AND ALSO
EAT SMALL FISHES
• ARE NOT HARMFUL EVEN
IN NURSERY PONDS
• EXCREMENT FERTILIZES
THE PONDS BUT DIRTIES
THE BANKS
HARMFUL MAMMALS
OTTERS (Lutra lutra L.)
• ARE LARGE MUSTELIDAE.
• CAN MEASURE OVER 1 m OF WHICH 40 cm IS TAIL LENGTH.
• CAN WEIGH 10kg
• PRINCIPALLY LIVE OFF FISH
• SUPPLEMENT THEIR FOOD WITH AQUATIC ANIMALS
• IF FOOD IS ABUNDANT THEY DESTROY MORE THAN THEY CAN EAT
• THEY ARE VERY TRICKY; SWIM AND PLUNGE(jump or dive quickly
and energetically) WITH EASE
• BUT CAN EASILY BE TRACED THANKS TO THEIR WEBBED FOOT-
PRINTS
OTTERS
MUSK-RAT (Ondatra zibethica L.)
• IMPORTED FROM AMERICA IN 1905 FOR FUR
• LIVE IN STAGNANT AND SLOW RUNNING WATER
RICH IN AQUATIC VEGETATION
• RARELY ATTACK FISH IN WINTERING PONDS
• HARMFUL BECAUSE OF LARGE BURROWS THEY DIG
IN BANKS AND DIKES
MUSK-RAT
WATER SHREW (Neomys fodiens)
• LITTLE RODENT
• MEASURES FROM 10-13 cm IN LENGTH UP TO TAIL
• HAS LONG MOBILE SNOUT AND SWIMS PERFECTLY
IT DESTROYS EGGS AND FRY IT SPECIALLY GOES FOR
TROUT EGGS
WATER SHREW
Man (theft)
• All types of fish. This is also considered among the major
predators through which fish are lost.
PREVENTION AND CONTROL
INCECTS
(WATER BEETLES, WATER BUGS & DRAGONFLIES)
• DO NOT PLACE NURSING PONDS UNDER WATER
MORE THAN 15 DAYS BEFORE STOCKING IN ORDER
THAT HARMFUL LARVAE OF INSECTS HAVE NO TIME
TO DEVELOP
• CLEAN UP SWAMPS AND GRASSY DITCHES IN THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE FISH FARM
• Use of fish that feed on insect larvae especially that can
remain in the bottom.
VORACIOUS FISH
(PIKE, PIKE-PERCH & PERCH)
• DO NOT LET IN THE VORACIOUS FISH IN NURSING PONDS BY
CAREFULL MANIPULATION
• INSTALL POND (SUNK HORIZONTAL SCREEN AT THE WATER INLET
AND POSSIBILITY OF COMPLETE DRYING OUT).
• PUDDLES OF WATER DRYING CAN BE TREATED WITH QUICKLIME.
LESS VORACIOUS FISH
(BLACK BULLHEAD &HEMICHROMIS spcs)
• THEY GET INTO UNPROPERLY INSTALLED WATER INLETS.
• INTERVALS BETWEEN DRYING SHOULD NOT BE TOO LONG.
• INTERVALS SHOULD BE REGULAR.
AMPHIBIANS
(FROGS, TADPOLES, SNAKES)
• DESTROY THE EGGS OF AMPHIBIANS AS SEEN .
• The populations of frogs and snakes can be controlled by
keeping premises around clean and clear.
Do not allow bushes to grow around the ponds.
Water channels should also be kept clean and clear.
• Short grass around the ponds reduces hiding places for the
snakes and frogs, which makes them more vulnerable to
predation by hawks.
AMPHIBIANS
(Crocodiles, Alligators, Large lizards)
• Proper fencing and keeping dense bushes cut down.
• Set traps to catch monitor lizards.
AMPHIBIANS
(TURTLES)
• Fencing around pond with wire mesh, trapping.
BIRDS
(KINGFISHERS, GREY HERONS, DUCKS, SWAN)
• Tying string at close intervals over the pond prevents
diving birds from being able to fly away once they have
come down or dive through the strings.
• Scarecrows or sudden loud noises may be used to scare
away birds.
• Do not leave any dead animals or feed, etc. lying around
ponds because birds may come to feed upon them.
• One may also train dogs on the farm to scare away birds
• Proper fencing around the ponds.
MAMMALS
(OTTERS, MUSK-RATS, WATER SHREWS)
• THE BEST WAY TO COMBAT OTTERS IS TO USE TRAPS
• SOLID TOOTHED TRAPS SHOULD BE USED
• PLACE THESE TRAPS UNDER WATER OR AT ENTERNCE OR EXIT SITE OF WATER.
• TRAP SHOULD NOT BE BAITED.
• SUITABLE FENCING OF WINTERING PONDS IS A MUST.
• MUSK-RATS :
• WINTERING PONDS MUST BE TAKEN CARE OF BY THESE RATS.
• THEY CAN BE TRAPPED OR POISONED.
• WATER SHREWS:
• CAN BE DESTROYED BY POISON OR TRAPS.
• FUMIGATE ITS BURROWS WITH SULPHUR.
• The otters can also be trapped using special light traps set in their passages.
MAMMALS
(MAN THEFT)
• Extremely difficult to control and is most common in cage
culture and other intensive fish farming.
Can however be controlled by:
• Employing security personnel
• Use of trained dogs
• Hidden obstruction to prevent pond seining.
• Fence the farm and lock securely.
• Burglar alarms or electrified fence
REFERENCES
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