Raising Catfish Fingerlings

Question
Hello Jack,

I would like to purchase fingerling catfish to eat by the pound, but here in the U.S., most fish farms will only sell them by the thousand, way too many for freezing for personal use and most farms don't have separate ponds to catch just the small fingerlings. Also, where one can purchase several pounds shipped overnight, it costs in the $200.00 range. Most state fish hatcherys don't sell fingerligs to the public either, nor have I seen them for sale in supermarkets.

I love to eat fingerlings because you don't have to skin them and the bones dissolve on frying, plus they taste better than the larger ones.

Not meaning to sound ridiculous, but since I do not have land to stock a small pond with fingerlings, would it be possible to raise some small fingerling catfish in a tank or aquarium inside of a shed or home?

Thank you very much.

Mark W.

Answer
Mark; I probably should just send my regrets saying that I cannot answer your question.  However, I do not like to refuse to try to give some sort of answer.  I do not know why a fish farm will sell these fish by the thousand although how many pounds would a thousand be?  Try online to see if someone will sell you fewer than a thousand.

As to raising your own in a tank or aquarium inside a building I see no reason why this would not be possible.  Get you a good book or go online and find a good video on raising catfish.  Catfish are a very hardy fish and can live in a wide variety of conditions.  Don't buy more than a thousand at a time but add to your stock every couple or three weeks.  This way you will always have some the right size that you like.  When they get too big you can give them to people who like bigger ones or turn them loose in someone's farm pond to grow on to full size and give some youngster a chance to catch them.

I hope this has been of some help although it is not really within my expertise I have done my best to give you some ideas.  Thanks for calling on me to answer your question.  I would be interested in a follow up sometime in the future to see if raising your own worked out.  

I am
Jack L. Gaither    (JackfromSeminole)
Lake Seminole, Georgia