Farmers’ Knowledge and Strategies for Tilapia Disease Management in Cage Culture in Songkhram River
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Abstract
This study summarizes the current knowledge of fish farmers regarding their strategies to cope with Tilapia diseases. The study focuses on the river-based cage culture in Songkhram River. The data were collected from 148 fish farmers using structured questionnaires. The study found that most fish farmers struggled with fish disease problems in the past. The problems typically aggravated during April and June, which were the transitioning period from summer to wet season. They believed that the diseases were mainly caused by variation in water quality and weather. The common diseases were ectoparasite infestation and bacterial infection. The common clinical sign that these farmers observed was exophthalmia. With their limited knowledge of disease management, these farmers decided to remove infected fish from the cages, added vitamins in the feed, and applied antibiotics. The preventive practices included direct observation, a regularly cage cleaning, an application of vitamins, and stop fish activities during the disease outbreak period. However, they did not know the actual causes of diseases. In order to better cope with the problems, it is recommended that fish farmers should send the infected fish to the relevant agencies to diagnose the true causes of the diseases so that they can suggest appropriate treatments.
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References
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