Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** largemouth bass (LMB -…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** largemouth bass (LMB - micropterus salmoides) production for the foodfish market is growing in the US. Traditionally, LMB producers in the US have relied on traditional earthen ponds as their primary production system for LMB culture. LMB producers in the southeastern US use traditional earthen ponds as the primary production unit and are plagued by low survival, slow growth, poor food conversion ratio (FCR), losses to bird depredation, water quality problems (i.e., low dissolved oxygen), and disease issues.producers of largemouth bass (LMB) believe that production challenges associated with traditional earthen ponds have led to decreased efficiency and profitability in domestic LMB farming operations, thereby hindering the growth of this aquaculture sector.implementing a split-pond system (SPS) for largemouth bass (LMB) culture can address numerous inefficiencies reported by commercial LMB producers using traditional earthen pond systems. In this phase II proposal, a modified 3-cell SPS design for LMB will be used as a commercialization tool to increase production. The advantages of SPS for LMB production can revolutionize the production of this expanding food fish species in the US. This project will optimize densities and feed management strategies to evaluate production performance, water quality, and economic feasibility of raising fingerling to stocker LMB for the foodfish market in commercial-size modified 3-cell SPS.