Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

We've used a few different methods to catch the fish for harvest.

1. fishing rod, barbless hook, no bait needed, hungry fish

2. a landing net with one person, the other person at the other side of the tank herding the fish over with the plastic rake

3. since we put the large aerator in the tank you can sneak up on them easier, one person with the net can catch about 20 fish in a few minutes.


Does any one have any other methods they would like to share?

I find that it is much easier to catch them at night.

In the long term - I will probably build a movable sectioning device like Les has built for his tank. Put it in - move one half until all the fish are in a small (pieve of pie) area of the tank.

I know with trout all ya have to do is have a net ready at feeding time

Gelignite. Easy. Quick. Fun.
What more could you ask?

Turn the airator off in the trout tank on a warm day, then scoop them off of the surface just before they turn upside down, then turn the airator back on when you've got enough for dinner.

The answer is obvious - a gun.
like shooting fish in a barrel.

I'm with KE. Thats how I caught half my goldfish when I wanted them out of the pond and in the tanks... turned off the pump for a day, then lifted them out by hand when they came to the surface... despite the stress they all survived.
(actually the pump off was a power failure, but I took advantage of the opportunity to catch gasping fish)

cages anyone? cage inside a cage for grading. make sense?

Wouldn't recommend the O2 depletion method. Has significant potential to harm the health of the non harvested fish.

i'm not sure but does stress have any impact on the texture of the flesh? i would assume so.

Thanks for pointing me here Jaymie

(Putting on my programming hat now) there has got to be some way to automatically create hyperlinks from one article to another.

There was I asking about catching fish in the my thread, not knowing that this thread was here.

i forgot to mention the way they harvest some fish in dams is with a device that pumps a flow of water out into the dam. the fish travel up the flow and are caught in a catchment area. this only works for fish that travel up stream like trout.

this could be a possible way to harvest in ap systems. i challenge someone to give it a go.

BF, that harvest method works for redclaw too.


Jamie, you can put links to other threads, but I was running late and didn't have time to find it again

Hi Jaymie - I know that.
But as you say, its a matter of trying to find an article again