CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE REARING OF EUROPEAN CATFISH, SILURUS GLANIS L. IN A FLOWTHROUGH PRODUCTION AQUACULTURE SYSTEM

This paper aimed to evaluate the productive potential of the intensive aquaculture rearing systems, flow-through type, in different conditions of stocking density maintenance of the fish biomass. For this purpose 92 catfish individuals were randomly distributed in two flow-through systems in such manner to create two different densities: 64 kg/m3, respectively 28 kg/m3. The catfish individual average weight was 619, 79±216, 49 g/exemplar for the first system and 560, 83± 193, 20 g/exemplar for the second system. At the beginning of the experiment the two fish groups were compared, in terms of average weight and tested for mean differences in order to have homogeneous populations. The t-test applied for independent variables revealed insignificant differences (p>0, 05) concerning initial individual weight. The biotechnological indicators emphasized a better growth of the catfish biomass maintained in lower stocking density. Also the higher stocking density induced an increase of variability coefficient and thus a larger weight differences between individuals from the first experimental variant