Hello, and thanks!

[Basil1]

1 ton of fish per month = 461.538 pounds per week. At 6 ounces per fillet, that = 1230 fish per week.

[bsfman]

1 ton of fish per month = 461.538 pounds per week. At 6 ounces per fillet, that = 1230 fish per week.

But you are forgetting there are two filets per fish, so that's 615 fish per week.

[foodchain]

Hmm, okay. I was looking at converting oz to lbs. That would've eliminated 2 sides of the fish, but apparently my estimates are off. That's what you get for math mostly in your head.
Will have to rework this and see where I goofed. I used a rounded 2,000 lbs as a ton too as it was an even number. That's probably part of it too as I am over rounding/simplifying.

[foodchain]

Also, we don't know the fillet size. Perch don't get big, least not that I have ever seen. I guess "big" is relative though.

[keith_r]

when you buy perch in the stores around here (at $15.99 a pound!) they come in "butterfly fillets", both fillet's still attached to the belly... average 4 or 5 butterfly to a pound.. but you'll be limited to selling live fish (until you get "processing" certifiied - a big investment)

figure meat on the fish accounts for about 40% body weight for yp..
8" is considered "market size", and can be done in a year..

i was reading my new aquaculture book, and one thing i read cleared up something that has had me thinking... the whole fcr ratio thing..
a near 1:1 fcr can be achieved (using high quality feed) because most of the weight gain in the fish is water.. but you also need to provide the best overall conditions for the species you're growing

[David - WI]

Mostly right on the money. I would prefer the (approx) 6oz butterfly mainly because they don't get overcooked so easily... I hate the little, dried out, "potato chip" perch & bluegill that we get in restaurants now. I think a little bit bigger fillet is a "premium" product, personally.

I'm expecting closer to 50% meat. The wild fish we caught & filleted ended up at 43% without the skins. We have some things designed into the system to improve that by a few percent; plus the butterfly with the skin on adds a little.

Feed conversion... yes another myth that "by definition you can't exceed 1:1 feed conversion"; the theoretical limit is like 0.82 or something.

[foodchain]

Why is that a myth?
Food conversion is simply the amount of feed to the amount of lbs grown.
Higher quality feed drives a higher price to produce. 2 years ago, I spent the investment on "higher quality" feed that guaranteed a 1:1 ratio, one lbs of feed to one lbs of fish. It was a closed loop system with good water quality. I kept temps within a 3 degree margin year round. The fish were sparsely populated in relation to fish/gallon, as I didn't want to worry about crowding. The fish DID NOT attain the growth guaranteed.
Conclusion: Feed producers are in the business of selling feed, not growing fish!
It's gotten me better yeilds per fish to look up the protein %'s for best results of a given species at various stages of development and use "alternative" feeds and own recipies. Also, cheaper to produce feed.

[David - WI]

It's a myth that the FCR can't be better than 1:1 because you would supposedly be getting more out than you're putting in.

"Research work by the major feed companies indicates that the FCR for certain species can be as low as 0.8, so there is further room for fish farming to become even more productive, without compromising its environmental or welfare standards." http://www.feap.info/home/FAQ/Answers/ans8_en.asp

[keith_r]

i read in interesting article.. you should use the smallest feed that the fish will accept, because it can pack more pellets into its stomach, with less "void" space... it sounded plausible..

[bsfman]

i read in interesting article.. you should use the smallest feed that the fish will accept, because it can pack more pellets into its stomach, with less "void" space... it sounded plausible..

Makes sense. You can pack more density into a shoebox by filling it with flour rather than biscuits!