UNAIR NEWS – Catfish may be considered as people fish as it is widely consumed by any people and anywhere. There are many fish farming scattered everywhere. Unfortunately, effective technology (TTG) has not been found to overcome the farming problems in increasing production of African Catfish continuously and greatly.
A collaboration of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine (FPK) and Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) students of Universitas Airlangga has managed to make electric field device as TTG to develop the world of fisheries.
Five students of Universitas Airlangga is conducting research and making electric field device as a stimulator of gonad African Catfish development that can be beneficial for the community, especially the farmers.
This concept was initiated by four FPK students namely Endah Rochmatika (team leader), Dimas Jaya Subakti, Regita Dwi Ayu Armeda, Elsa Mirantika collaboration with a student from FST’s Automation and Instrumentation System, Abdul Hamid.
They then conveyed it into a research proposal of Student Creativity Program (PKM). Supervised by Eka Saputra, S.Pi., M.Sc., a proposal entitled “Exploration of Electric Field Exposure as Maturity Gonad Growth Stimulator of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus )” have passed the selection and qualified for 2017 Kemenristekdikti research funding in the category of Exact Research (PKM-PE).
According Endah Rochmatika, the lack of effective technologies to overcome the farming problems has inspired this group to develop the device.
Components and Design Tools Â
Why electric field? To reporters, Endah Rochmatika said that the electric field is expected to produce a bioelectric vibrations so that it stimulates the improvement in metabolic processes that most of the energy directed to the development of reproduction.
Furthermore, it stimulates the reproductive hormone of fish to work faster, so it produces hormones that can accelerate the maturity of fish and fish ready for spawning. The technique of exploiting the electric field as a stimulator of fish gonad maturity can increase the availability of African Catfish seed with a lot of quantity as a sustainability of fishery cultivation, especially in the field of African Catfish commodity.
Endah added that this study used Complete Randomized Design (RAL) with nine treatments and three replications, and control group as a comparison. In the test of statistic analysis (ANNOVA) 95% confidence interval, data of African Catfish gonad weight has no significant effect on electric field equipment on the development of gonads of African Catfish. This is because at the rearing, electric field exposure is not directed directly to the fish reproduction organs.
Electric field exposure is done through the water in the aquarium in which there is African Catfish, while bioelectric vibrations are directed to the whole body of dumbo African Catfish through linea lateralis , so they are not significant to reproductive organs.
However, after the fourth time exposure to the electric field on the gonads, the result showed weight gain which is marked that the African Catfish consume pellets in quantity and intensity more than usual.
“So the exposure of electric fields stimulates the appetite to increase the fish’s metabolism rate, so the growth rate of dumbo African Catfish increases,” added Endah Rochmatika.
Endah confirmed although the electric field does not affect the development of fish reproduction organs and only increases its growth rate alone, its PKM team will not give up to achieve the expected outcome.
“We will try to conduct other research to create eefctive technology in the field of fishery and marine that has never existed,” said Endah Rochmatika. (*)
Editor: Bambang Bes
