A master’s thesis at the College of Agriculture on the health and biochemical status of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) reared in earthen ponds with different water sources.

The College of Agriculture at the University of Diyala discussed a master’s thesis entitled The Health and Biochemical Status of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) Reared in Earthen Ponds with Different Water Sources. This study, presented by the student Zakaria Karim Baqir, investigated the health and biochemical status of common carp reared in earthen ponds supplied by three different water sources: the Euphrates River, drainage water, and well water. The ponds, each covering an area of 7 dunams with three replicates per treatment and a stocking density of 750 fish per pond, were located in the Al-Jilawea district of Al-Musayyib, Babylon Governorate. Sampling of water and fish was conducted in two seasons: the first in May 2023, at the beginning of the stocking period when fish averaged 100 ± 5 grams, and the second in November 2023, at the harvest or marketing stage when fish weights ranged between 1,000 and 2,000 grams.

The study reached several conclusions, including:

• There was an increase in the concentration of heavy metals in the flesh of fish from ponds with drainage water at the end of the marketing season, followed by fish from well water ponds, while fish from Euphrates River ponds showed either no presence or minimal levels of heavy metals. Additionally, fish from drainage water ponds exhibited chlorinated pesticide residues, followed by fish from well water ponds, with the lowest levels found in fish from the Euphrates River.

The study recommends:

• Educating fish farmers by providing training opportunities on the importance of water quality and its effects on fish health.

• Implementing sustainable agricultural policies focused on reducing pesticide usage or adopting natural alternatives.

• Conducting further studies on the effects of other water types across different seasons to gain a deeper understanding of the various impacts on fish health.

• Regular monitoring by relevant authorities of pollution levels in water sources near fish farming locations.

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