Optimizing River Productivity: Comparative Insights into Ecological Integrity and Production Responses to River-Based Cage Fish Farming

Zannatul Ferdoushi Ferdoushi; Rafat Hossain; K. M. Toufiq Hassan; Md. Shahanur Alam; Md. Masud Rana; Mst. Irin Akter Lima

doi:10.53941/ale.2026.100012

Abstract

Cage culture systems in diverse aquatic habitats represent an emerging approach in aquaculture, but they face multiple challenges, including water quality management. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in biological and physicochemical water quality over 180 days in the Tangon River, Bangladesh, resulting from cage fish farming compared with open water. Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings were stocked in distinct cages with two diverse stocking densities (treatments): 25 fish/m³ (T I) and 35 fish/m³ (T II), while the non-cage farming site was treated as the control for the study. The study confirmed that the control and treatment sites had differing water quality. There were 67 different genera of plankton identified in the cages at the farming locations, compared to 44 at the control site. Cage farming site has a far higher total plankton count than the control site with total plankton mean values of 23.95 ± 7.41 × 10³ cells/L in cage farming sites and 20.82 ± 7.00 × 10³ cells/L in control sites. Cage farming sites exhibited higher mean plankton abundance than the control site; however, significant differences were detected primarily in Cyanophyceae, Copepoda and total zooplankton abundance, suggesting localized ecological responses rather than widespread ecosystem alteration. Overall, it was shown that Treatment I outperformed Treatment II in terms of fish biomass production and survival rate, suggesting that increased densities have a detrimental effect on growth.

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