Abstract

This study was conducted in the ecologic park “Juan Bautista Caldera” of Sandoval Caldera Foundation in Isla del Carmen, Campeche. It was conducted in March. 1997 and lasted 118 days. Snook collected from the wild were stocked in three earthen, freatic ponds of 90 m2 at densities of 0.25, 0.5 and 1 org/m2 and at an average weight of 14.19 g. The snook were fed a daily ration of fresh tilapia, Cichlasoma urophthalmus, at 5% of their biomass. The total length (cm) and weigth (g) of 2.5 snook from each pond were measured biweekly. Pond conditions (i.e., dissolved oxigen, salinity, temperature and pH) were also determined. At the end of the study, survival in the three ponds was 90%. The fish averaged mean total lengths of 17.38, 16.09 and 15.08 cm, respectively, while total weigth averaged 26.46, 24.48 and 19.86 g, respectively. Average food conversion rate was 2.37, 1.76 and 2.2, respectively. The analysis of water parameters indicated that dissolved oxygen ranged from 7.41 to 7.61 mg/l, salinity from 0 to 6%, temperature from 28 to 30°C and pH from 6.5 to 7.5. The results indicate that monoculture of snook in earthen freatic ponds is viable with highest production at a stocking density of, 0.25 org/m2

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