The Delaplaine Agriculture Department Confinement Project, begun in June 1988, conducted a confinement aquaculture program by comparing the growth of channel catfish raised in cages in a pond to channel catfish raised in cages in the Black River, Arkansas. The study developed technology that would decrease costs in the domestication of fish, using existing resources such as abundant lakes and rivers to increase food production, with a high volume alternative to the dietary market. The purpose of the project was to initiate a program that would provide vocational teachers and students with an opportunity to improve their competencies through structured, hands-on experiences. It was found that catfish can be raised successfully in a cage in a river; up to 98 percent of fish in pens survive. The feed-to-fish conversion ratio was not accurately determined because of feeding "phantom fish"--net pens suffered large holes that allowed catfish to escape. The average daily rate of weight gain in cycle one was .0019 and in cycle two, .0020. Catfish can be successfully overwintered in cages in ponds and rivers. (NLA)