Aquaculture

Aquaculture

• the controlled production of

animals that normally live in

water (fish farming)

• three thousand year old practice

started by the Egyptians and

Chinese

Aquaculture

• two types of water creatures

• freshwater

• saltwater

Aquaculture

• animals raised for production may

include

• crustaceans (shrimp and crayfish)

• mollusks (clams and oysters)

• amphibians (frogs)

• reptiles (alligators)

Aquaculture

• fish provide a high quality high

protein supply of meat

• as with other agriculture animals

humans soon discovered that by

producing their own aquatic

animals that the supply available to

the consumer would be more

dependable and easier to harvest

Aquaculture

• commercial growth growing of

fish

• five million tons a year

produced

• demands of the consumer has

increased

Aquaculture

• aquatic animals are produced

efficiently and economically

• fish account for 12% of the

meat consumed in the US

Fish Production

• many advantages over other

agricultural animals

• 9lbs. Feed for 1lbs. Of gain for

steer

• 2lbs. Feed for 1lbs. Of gain a

fish

Fish Production

• fish are ectothermic (cold-

blooded)

• this means less energy goes into

maintaining a constant body

temp

Fish Production

• fish have a higher percentage of

edible meat (up to 85%)

• up to 6000 pounds fish can be

raised on one acre

Fish Production • Problems in fish production

• dissolved oxygen level must be

maintained

• shipping the meat (fish spoils

quickly)

• operations are labor intensive

• operations are high risk

Fish Respiration

• breathe oxygen

• use gills to take oxygen from

the water and put it to use in the

bloodstream

• gills act just as lungs do

Fish Respiration

• The oxygen is put into the water

through…

• photosynthesis

• process in which aquatic plants

which releases dissolved

oxygen into the water

Fish Respiration

• directly from the sun

penetrating the oxygen into the

waves

• aeration by crating waves

Fish Respiration

• if the dissolved oxygen level

falls below a certain point the

fish may suddenly die

(suffocate)

Commercially Grown

• grouped into two categories

• warm water

• thrive in temps above 60

degrees

• catfish and tilapia most popular

in US

Cold Water

• thrive in waters that are 70

degrees or less

• Trout and Salmon most popular

in the US

Catfish Production

• most widely grown production

fish in the US

• smooth skin with no scales

Catfish Production

• nearly 100,000 metric tons

produced each year at a value of

$380 million

• survive on lower levels of

dissolved oxygen than most

other production fish

Channel Catfish

• mose widely used

• Mississippi leads in channel cat

production

• raised in ponds less than 6 feet

deep

Egg production

• female catfish lay eggs in nests

that are provided by the

producer

• eggs are collected and placed in

tanks or jars in the hatchery

Egg production

• eggs are moved back and forth

by use of paddles in a wave-like

action

• fish eggs must be turned just as

bird eggs are in order to hatch

Egg production

• When small fish hatch (called

fry) they are placed in tanks

until they are about two inches

long (then called fingerlings)

• fingerlings are transferred into a

pond or huge tank until they

weigh two pounds

Egg production

• fish are fed twice a day

• fish are harvested using seines

(large nets)

• another method of raising

production fish is using large

submerged cages

Cages

• advantages

• fish may be inspected more

closely

• less feed is wasted

• predator problems are solved

• harvesting is easier

Tilapia Production

• native to Africa

• resemble our native sunfish

• reproduce prolifically

• grow rapidly

Tilapia Production

• can survive high temp, low

oxygen and overcrowded

conditions

• cannot survive in water below

50 degrees

Trout Production

• considered the best tasting fish

• high percentage of their body is

edible meat

• cold water fish

Trout Production

• most trout are raised in concrete

raceways where the water is

constantly moving

• moving water keeps the water

cooler and keeps the dissolved

oxygen level higher

Trout Production

• disease control is easier in this

environment

Salmon Production

• cold water fish

• raised in floating net cages that

are anchored in bays of oceans

• usually takes 18-24 months to

finish out the fish

• harvested at 9-11 pounds

Salmon Production

• very meaty fish with a favorable

taste

• most salmon that is consumed

is caught in the ocean rather

than raised in captivity

Sport fishing

• hatcheries stock lakes and

streams

• recreational fishing creates

other industry

• fishing tackle stores

• boats

Sport fishing

• guide services

• restaurant, hotel and other

stores near the water

Bullfrog Production

• frog legs are considered a

gourmet food

• most frogs are raised in the wild

• demand for frogs far exceed the

supply

Bullfrog Production

• attempts to raise bullfrogs in

captivity have been

unsuccessful for many reasons

• 1. Animals are territorial

• 2. Frogs only eat food that is

alive, no processed food

Bullfrog Production

• 3. Predators (raccoons and

snakes)

• research is still being done to

find a way to raise bullfrogs for

production purposes

Crayfish

• Craw Dads, Crawfish, or Mud

Bugs

• Louisiana leads in crawfish

production

• 1000 pounds per acre can be

produced

Crayfish

• raised in large earthen ponds

that are less than two feet deep

• can be grown along with crops

such as rice

• crawfish are omnivorous (they

eat both plants and animals)

Crayfish

• main diet is decaying plants,

worms and insect larvae

Alligator Production

• alligators were hunted to a point

near extinction

• hides are very valuable

• conservation efforts have

brought the population back

Alligator Production

• alligators are harvested at the

age of 26 months of age and

five to six feet long

• hides are sold to make bags,

boots, shoes and various other

leather type goods

Alligator Production

• skulls and teeth are also a hot

commodity

• meat is very tasty and is sold to

restaurants

Alligator Production

• process of raising alligators

• females build nests from

vegetation and mud and lay an

average of 40 eggs each time

Alligator Production

• producers remove the eggs from

the nest to limit the loss to

predators

• eggs are marked so that the

proper end will be in the right

position to ensure a good hatch

Alligator Production

• eggs are wrapped in hay and are

kept moist

• the hay contains a bacteria that

breaks down the shell allowing

the babies to break through the

shell

Alligator Production

• temperature is critical to

determining the sex of the

newborn alligator

• temps above 93 degrees

produce all males

Alligator Production

• temps below 86 degrees

produce all females

• temp of 88 degrees produces an

even mixture

• alligators are fed fish, products

from poultry industry

Alligator Production

• carcasses of animals that are

slaughtered for their fur only