Copper sulfate to manage cyanobacterial off-flavors in pond-raised channel catfish

Pond-raised channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) often develop off-flavors caused by earthy-musty cyanobacterial metabolites. Management of off-flavors in catfish aquaculture is difficult and algicides are the only management tool that yields relatively dependable results. This chapter reviews the use of copper sulfate to manage off-flavors in catfish from ponds in northwest Mississippi. Weekly treatments with 0.12 mg/L Cu during the summer reduces off-flavor prevalence and improves economic performance. However, copper accumulates in the sediments of treated ponds, with a relatively large fraction of the sediment copper initially present in potentially bioavailable forms.