Effect of Antibiotics on Transport of Clarias brachysoma (Walking Catfish) Over Long Distances

Abstract

Walking catfish, Clarias brachysoma (Clariiadae) is a fresh water demersal endemic catfish in Sri Lanka. This fish is listed as threatened species due to over fishing, use of illegal fishing gear, habitats destruction, fishing in breeding grounds and pollution from land-based activities. A comprehensive literature survey reveals that studies on breeding of C. brachysoma and captive breeding have not been carried out in Sri Lanka. As breeding experiments are to be performed at University of Peradeniya, two C. brachysoma habitats were used to collect the fish. They were 31km and 188km away from the University. Antibiotic treatments gave significantly higher (P<0.05) survival rates when compared with the control over long distance (188km) transportation. Survival percentage of those, which were treated with antibiotic at 250mg/10L of water continuously for seven days after transporting a distance of 188km, was 86%. However, when they were transported with tetracycline at 250mg/7.5L of water and treated continuously for seven days after transporting, survival was found to be 100%. Short distance transportation (31km) gave survival rate of 100% even without antibiotics.