UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

Striped murrel (Channa striatus) is an indigenous freshwater fish of economic and nutritional importance in Tamil Nadu, India. The present study evaluated its monoculture in a perennial freshwater pond at Swamimalai, Kumbakonam Taluk, Tanjore District, over a five-month period from February to July 2026. A total of 1,200 fingerlings with an initial total weight of 7.8 kg were stocked. Natural feed comprising chicken waste, fish waste, and live Gambusia fish was provided together with artificial floating and immersed feeds. Feeding was maintained at 2% of total body weight, and fish growth was assessed at 15-day intervals. At harvest, 986 fish were recovered, corresponding to a survival rate of 82.16%. The harvested fish had a total weight of 436.255 kg, with individual weights ranging from 368.4 to 516.5 g and an average weight of 442.45 g. Fish were marketed according to size at rates ranging from Rs. 320 to Rs. 450 per kg. The total income from the culture operation was Rs. 1,79,063.20, while total expenditure was Rs. 73,650.00, resulting in a net profit of Rs. 1,05,413.20 over five months. The findings indicate that pond-based monoculture of Channa striatus, when supported by appropriate stocking, feeding, and culture management, can provide a productive and economically favourable freshwater aquaculture option under the conditions examined in Tamil Nadu.