Dr. Ganesh Kumar Karunakaran

Dr. Ganesh  Kumar Karunakaran

Title

  • Associate Research Professor

Contact Information

gkk27@msstate.edu
Office: 662-686-3586
Delta Research and Extension Center

Overview

Education

  • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Fisheries/Aquaculture Science
  • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Master of Science (M.S.), Fisheries/Aquaculture Science
  • Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Master of Science (M.S.), Aquaculture
  • Kerala Agricultural University, Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Aquaculture

Research Interests

Production economics, financial management, risk analysis, technology adoption, whole-farm modeling, seafood marketing.

Teaching Interests

Aquaculture economics, farm management, risk management

Websites

Publications

Year Publications
2025

Karunakaran, G., Hegde, S., Aarattuthodi, S., Bosworth, B., Sun, L., Steensma, N. 2025. Effect of carryover biomass of channel catfish on production and profitability in intensively aerated multiple-batch system. Journal of World Aquaculture Society 56(1):13123.

Download
2025

Aarattuthodi, S., Bosworth, B., Karunakaran, G., Nalamalapu, A. 2025. Efficacy determination of a disinfectant against channel catfish virus by in vitro and in vivo methods. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal

2024

Cheatham, M., Karunakaran, G., Tucker, C., Roy, L., Avery, J. L., Johnson, J. 2024. Cost and impact of off-flavor on U.S. catfish farms. North American Journal of Aquaculture

2024

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., Aarattuthodi, S., van Senten, J., Hegde, S., Khoo, L. H., Hanson, L. A., Peterman, M. A., Dorman, L. 2024. Economic impact of Edwardsiellosis on the US catfish industry. Aquaculture Economics & Management

2024

Bosworth, B., Waldbieser, G., Wise, D., Karunakaran, G., Lourenco, D., Garcia, A., Ott, B., Torrans, L. 2024. Effect of strain and enteric septicemia of catfish vaccine-booster on production and processing traits of the Delta Select and Delta Control strains of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. Journal of World Aquaculture Society

2024

Bosworth, B. G., Waldbieser, G. C., Engle, C., Karunakaran, G. 2024. Effects of broodfish sex ratio, broodfish stocking density, and postspawn broodfish holding-pond density on reproductive efficiency in pond-spawned Channel Catfish. North American Journal of Aquaculture 86(1):130--140.

2024

Garlock, T. M., Asche, F., Anderson, J. L., Eggert, , H., Anderson, T. M., Che, B., Chaavez, C., Chu, J., Chukwuone, N., Dey, M. M., others, ., Karunakaran, G. 2024. Environmental, economic, and social sustainability in aquaculture: the aquaculture performance indicators. Nature communications 15(1):5274--2024.

2024

Stone, N. M., Engle, C. R., Karunakaran, G., Li, M. H., Hegde, S., Roy, L. A., Kelly, A. M., Dorman, L., Recsetar, M. S. 2024. Factors affecting feed conversion ratios in US commercial catfish production ponds. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society

2024

Mitra, S., Khan, M. A., Nielsen, R., Karunakaran, G., Rahman, M. T. 2024. Review of environmental challenges in the Bangladesh aquaculture industry. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 31(6):8330--8340.

2024

Selcuk , M., Hegde , U., Engle, C., Karunakaran, G., van Senten, J., Dey, M. 2024. Seafood Purchasing Behavior in the U.S. during the Early Recovery Period from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Fishes 2024(9):348.

2024

Matuha, M., Fornshell, G., Karunakaran, G., Cain, K. D. 2024. Sensory profiles and market potential of burbot Lota lota maculosa-An emerging aquaculture species. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science

2024

Karunakaran, G., Hegde, S., Engle, C., Boldt, N., Parker, M., Quagrainie, K., Posadas, B. C., Asche, F., Dey, M., Aarattuthodi, S., Roy, L. A., Grice, R., Fong, Q., Schwarz, M. 2024. Economic Contribution of U.S. Aquaculture Farms. Journal of World Aquaculture Society 55(4):23.

Download
2023

Hegde, S., Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., van Senten, J. 2023. Cost of regulations on US catfish farms. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society

2023

Cheatham, M., Karunakaran, G., Johnson, J., Avery, J. L., Aarattuthodi, S. 2023. Economic risk of commercial catfish production practices. Aquaculture Economics & Management 2023:1--23.

Download
2023

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C. 2023. Ictalurus punctatus (channel catfish). CABI Compendium 79127(1):1-31.

Download
2023

Engle, C., van Senten, J., Karunakaran, G., Dey, M. 2023. Pre-and post-pandemic seafood purchasing behavior in the US. Aquaculture 571:739491.

2023

Cheatham, M., Karunakaran, G., Tucker, C., Rutland, B. 2023. Research verification of four commercial scale split-pond designs. Aquacultural Engineering 103:102349.

2023

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., van Senten, J., Sun, L., Hegde, S., Richardson, B. M. 2023. Resource productivity and costs of aquaculture practices: Economic-sustainability perspectives from US catfish farming. Aquaculture 574:739715.

2023

Sun, L., Engle, C., Karunakaran, G., van Senten, J. 2023. Retail market trends for seafood in the United States. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society

2023

Sun, L., Engle, C. R., Karunakaran, G., van Senten, J. 2023. Supermarket trends for rainbow and steelhead trout products: Evidence from scanner data. Aquaculture Reports 30:101579.

2023

Prodhan, M. M., Khan, M. A., Palash, M. S., Hossain, M. I., Karunakaran, G. 2023. Supply chain performance of fishing industry in Bangladesh: Emphasizing on information sharing and commitment. Aquaculture Economics & Management

2023

Sun, L., Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., van Senten, J. 2023. Trends for US catfish and swai products in retail markets. Aquaculture Economics \& Management

2022

Dharan, V., Khoo, L. H., Phelps, N. B., Karunakaran, G., Steadman, J., Bosworth, B., Aarattuthodi, S. 2022. An investigation into the pathogenesis of blue catfish alloherpesvirus in ictalurid catfish. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 53(2):384--400.

2022

Hegde, S., Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., Hanson, T., Roy, L. A., van Senten, J., Johnson, J., Avery, J. L., Aarattuthodi, S., Dahl, S., others, . 2022. Economic contribution of the US catfish industry. Aquaculture Economics \& Management 26(4):384--413.

2022

Gosh, K., Hanson, T. R., Drescher, D., Robinson, D., Bugg, W., Chatakondi, N., Karunakaran, G., Jeffers, C., Dunham, R. A. 2022. Economic Effect of Hybrid Catfish (Channel Catfish♀$\times$ Blue Catfish♂) Growth Variability on Traditional and Intensive Production Systems. North American Journal of Aquaculture 84:24--41.

2022

Engle, C. R., Hanson, T., Karunakaran, G. 2022. Economic history of US catfish farming: Lessons for growth and development of aquaculture. Aquaculture Economics & Management 26(1):1--35.

2022

Asche, F., Garlock, T., Camp, E., Guillen, J., Karunakaran, G., Llorente, I., Shamshak, G. 2022. Market opportunities for US aquaculture producers: the case of Branzino. Marine Resource Economics 37(2):221--233.

2022

Hegde, S., Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., Avery, J. L., Aarattuthodi, S., Johnson, J., van Senten, J. 2022. Production economic relationships in intensive US catfish production systems. Aquaculture Economics \& Management 26(3):314--331.

2022

Hegde, S., Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., Hanson, T., Roy, L. A., Cheatham, M., Avery, J. L., Aarattuthodi, S., van Senten, J., Johnson, J., Wise, D. J. 2022. Technological progress in the US catfish industry. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 53(2):367--383.

2021

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., Avery, J. L., Dorman, L., Whitis, G., Roy, L. A., Xie, L. 2021. Characteristics of early adoption and non-adoption of alternative catfish production technologies in the US. Aquaculture Economics & Management 25(1):70--88.

2021

Engle, C. E., Christie, T. W., Dorr, B. S., Karunakaran, G., Davis, J. B., Roy, L. A., Kelly, A. M. 2021. Principal economic effects of cormorant predation on catfish farms. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 52:41-56.

Download
2021

Engle, C., Karunakaran, G., van Senten, J. 2021. Resource-use efficiency in US aquaculture: farm-level comparisons across fish species and production systems. Aquaculture Environment Interactions 13:259--275.

2021

Asche, F., Anderson, J. L., Botta, R., Karunakaran, G., Abrahamsen, E. B., Nguyen, L. T., Valderrama, D. 2021. The Economics of Shrimp Disease. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology

2021

Avery, J. L., Hegde, S., Karunakaran, G. 2021. U.S. Catfish Production is Becoming More Efficient. World Aquaculture 52(3):52-54.

2021

Karunakaran, G., Hegde, S., Wise, D. J., Mischke, C. C., Dorr, B. 2021. Economic Losses of Catfish to Avian Predation- A Case Report . North American Journal of Aquaculture 83(3):127-137.

Download
2020

Garlock, T., Asche, F., Anderson, J., Bj\orndal, Trond, ., Karunakaran, G., Lorenzen, K., Ropicki, A., Smith, M. D., Tveter\aas, Ragnar, . 2020. A global blue revolution: aquaculture growth across regions, species, and countries. Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture 28(1):107--116.

2020

Carole Engle, ., Karunakaran, G., van Senten, J. 2020. Cost drivers and profitability of U.S. pond, raceway, and RAS aquaculture. Journal of world aquaculture society

2020

Griffin, M. J., Greenway, T. E., Byars, T. S., Ware, C., Aarattuthodi, S., Karunakaran, G., Wise, D. J. 2020. Cross-protective potential of a live-attenuated Edwardsiella ictaluri vaccine against Edwardsiella piscicida in channel (Ictalurus punctatus) and channel$\times$ blue (Ictalurus furcatus) hybrid catfish. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 51(3):740--749.

2020

Engle, c., Karunakaran, G., van senten, J. 2020. Economics of U.S. catfish farming practices: Profitability, economies of size, and liquidity. Journal of World Aquaculture Society

2020

Karunakaran, G., Gaunt, P. S. 2020. Medicated-feed intervention in catfish farming: An economic perspective. North American Journal of Aquaculture 82(2):190--199.

2020

Li, M. H., Wise, D. J., Mischke, C. C., Karunakaran, G., Greenway, T. E., Tiwari, A., Lucas, P. M. 2020. Reducing dietary protein concentrations and replacing fish meal with porcine meat and bone meal do not affect growth or feed conversion of pond-raised fingerling channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 51(2):364--372.

2020

Wise, D. J., Greenway, T. E., Byars, T. S., Karunakaran, G., Griffin, M. J., Khoo, L. H., Chesser, G. D., Lowe, J. W. 2020. Validation of Edwardsiella ictaluri oral vaccination platform in experimental pond trials. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 51(2):346--363.

2020

Karunakaran, G., Wise, D. J., Li, M. H., Aarattuthodi, S., Hegde, S., Rutland, B., Pruitt, S., Griffin, M. J., Khoo, L. H. 2020. Effect of understocking density of channel catfish fingerlings in intensively aerated multiple-batch production. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 52(1):30-40.

Download
2020

Li, M. H., Wise, D. J., Karunakaran, G., Bosworth, B., Mischke, C. C., Aarattuthodi, S., Rutland, W., Lucas, P. 2020. Effects of long-term restricted feeding followed by full feeding on growth, processing yield, fillet proximate composition, and economics of market-size hybrid catfish, ♀ Ictalurus punctatus × ♂ Ictalurus furcatus. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 51:931-943.

Download
2019

Karunakaran, G., Byars, T. S., Greenway, T. E., Aarattuthodi, S., Khoo, L. H., Griffin, M. J., Wise, D. J. 2019. Economic assessment of commercial-scale Edwardsiella ictaluri vaccine trials in US catfish industry. Aquaculture Economics \& Management 23(3):254--275.

2019

Karunakaran, G., Li, M. H., Wise, D. J., Mischke, C. C., Rutland, B., Tiwari, A., Aarattuthodiyil, S., Griffin, M. J., Khoo, L. H., Ott, B., others, . 2019. Performance of channel catfish and hybrid catfish in single-batch, intensively aerated ponds. North American Journal of Aquaculture 81(4):406--416.

2018

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C. R., Hanson, T. R., Tucker, C. S., Brown, T. W., Bott, L. B., Roy, L. A., Boyd, C. E., Recsetar, M. S., Park, J. 2018. Economics of alternative catfish production technologies. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 49(6):1039--1057.

2018

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., Tucker, C. 2018. Factors driving aquaculture technology adoption. Journal of the world aquaculture society 49(3):447--476.

2018

Li, M. H., Wise, D. J., Mischke, C. C., Karunakaran, G., Lucas, P. M. 2018. Response of pond-raised fingerling hybrid catfish,♀ Ictalurus punctatus$\times$♂ Ictalurus furcatus, to dietary protein concentrations and sources. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 49(5):912--918.

2017

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C. 2017. Economics of intensively aerated catfish ponds. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 48(2):320--332.

2017

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C. 2017. Optimal investment pathways for splitpond and intensively aerated catfish pond technologies. Aquaculture Economics \& Management 21(1):144--162.

2016

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., Tucker, C. 2016. Costs and risk of catfish split-pond systems. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 47(3):327--340.

2016

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C. R. 2016. Technological advances that led to growth of shrimp, salmon, and tilapia farming. Reviews in Fisheries Science \& Aquaculture 24(2):136--152.

2014

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C. R. 2014. Optimizing catfish feeding and stocking strategies over a two-year planning horizon. Aquaculture Economics & Management 18(2):169--188.

2013

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C. R. 2013. Costs of winter feeding of Channel-Blue (♀ Ictalurus punctatus$\times$♂ Ictalurus furcatus) hybrid catfish. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 44(4):511--519.

2013

Engle, C., Karunakaran, G., Lochmann, R., Bosworth, B., Thompson, M. 2013. Effects of 28% protein diets differing in quality on channel catfish performance, processing traits, and production economics in a multi-batch system. Journal of Applied Aquaculture 25(2):102--112.

2012

Lochmann, R., Engle, C., Karunakaran, G., Li, M. H., Avery, J. L., Bosworth, B. G., Tucker, C. S. 2012. Multi-batch catfish production and economic analysis using alternative (low-cost) diets with corn gluten feed and traditional diets with meat and bone meal. Aquaculture 366:34–39.

Download
2011

Engle, C. R., Karunakaran, G. 2011. Biological feasibility and costs of production of large Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, for a specialty product market. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 42(5):667--675.

2011

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C. 2011. The effect of hybrid catfish fingerling prices on the relative profitability of hybrid channel catfish. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 42(4):469--483.

2010

Karunakaran, G., Engle, C. 2010. Relative production performance and cost of food fish production from fingerlings of channel-blue F1 hybrids, Ictalurus punctatus--Ictalurus furcatus, and NWAC-103 channel catfish, I. punctatus. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 41(4):545--554.

2010

Engle, C. R., Karunakaran, G., Bouras, D. 2010. The economic trade-offs between stocking fingerlings and stockers: A mixed integer multi-stage programming approach. Aquaculture Economics \& Management 14(4):315--331.

2008

Karunakaran, G., Quagrainie, K., Singh, K., Dey, M., Engle, C. 2008. Factors Influencing the Probability of Catfish Purchase in Selected US Cities. Aquaculture Economics & Management

2008

Karunakaran, G., Quagrainie, K., Engle, C. 2008. Factors that influence frequency of purchase of catfish by US households in selected cities. Aquaculture Economics \& Management 12(4):252--267.

2001

Karunakaran, G., Sharma, R. 2001. Probiotics-the mainstay in aquaculture health management. INFOFISH International 2001(5):42--47.

Extension Publications

Year Publications
2023

Cheatham, M., Karunakaran, G., Johnson, J., Avery, J. L., Aarattuthodi, S. 2023. Relative Economic Risks of Commercial Catfish Farming Strategies. MSU Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center 18(1):6 - 7.

Download
2023

Hegde, S., Karunakaran, G., Engle, C., Avery, J. L., van Senten, J., Aarattuthodi, S. 2023. Economic Impact Generated by the U.S. Catfish Industry. MSU Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center 18(1):8 - 9.

Download
2022

Avery, J. L., Karunakaran, G. 2022. Government Support of the U.S. Catfish Industry during the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020. NWAC News 17(1) 17(1):16-17.

Download
2016

Karunakaran, G., 2016. Adoption of alternate catfish production technologies. 2016 Annual report prepared by Delta Regional Extension Center

2008

Kumar, G., Engle, C. R., Quagrainie, K., others, . 2008. Household preferences and consumption patterns for farm-raised catfish in the US. Cooperative Extension Program, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, US Dept. of Agriculture and county governments cooperating

Graduate Students

  • Morgan Cheatham

Awards & Honors

  • Best paper award
    Aquaculture Economics and Management
  • Distinguished Early Career Award
    World Aquaculture Society
  • Best paper award
    World Aquaculture Society
  • International Travel award
    International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management
  • MAFES Grantsmanship Award
    Mississippi state University
  • Best PhD Dissertation award
    International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management
  • PhD dissertation International Travel award
    International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management
  • Chancellor Award
    University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
  • William M. Willingham award
    University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
  • 2007 William M. Willingham award
    University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
  • MS Travel Award
    International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management
  • Gold Medal MS program
    Indian Council of Agricultural Research
  • Junior Research Fellowship
    Indian Council of Agricultural Research
  • Third Rank in national level entrance exam for post graduation
    Indian Council of Agricultural Research

Society Memberships

  • American Fisheries Society
  • Catfish Farmers of America
  • International Association for Aquaculture Economics and Management
  • National Aquaculture Association
  • World Aquaculture Society