Natural Algicides for the Control of Cyanobacterial-Related Off-Flavor in Catfish Aquaculture

Over the past two decades, a variety of natural compounds have been studied for their potential use as selective algicides against cyanobacteria to prevent musty off-flavor in cultured catfish. Some of the compounds that have been tested include unsaturated fatty acids, lysine, ferulic acid, anthraquinone, and artemisinin. In addition, decomposing barley straw has been evaluated for preventing blooms of musty-compound producing cyanobacteria in catfish ponds. So far, none of these compounds have proven to be commercially acceptable for the management of cyanobacteria blooms in Mississippi catfish ponds. However, some quinones have been found to be the most promising leads in the discovery of an environmentallysafe, natural algicide for catfish aquaculture.