Inspiring Passion and purpose through the discovery of arts and sciences.

World Fisheries

• We have lost at least 2000 species due to overfishing with 70% of fish stocks overfished and endangered of collapse

• Because we are so efficient at catching. No longer “fishing”

• There are enough long line hooks “catching” to circle the globe 550 times

• You could fit 13 jumbo jets through the mouth of the largest trawling nets.

Top consuming countries

#1 Portugal 178 lbs/person/ year

#2 Japan 155 lbs/person/year

#3 Singapore 133 lbs/person/year

• USA 16lbs/person/year

• Healthy, we aren’t going to stop eating it

• 2 Billion more people will be here in 20 years

• How do we feed them And us?

Aquaculture

Aquaculture:The growing of aquatic organisms

What is needed for Aquaculture

• Organism capable of reproducing or growing in the captive system

• Beneficial bacteria

• Good water quality

• Good food

• Oxygen

• Aquaculture provides nearly 50 percent, of the annual world fisheries production of 110 million tonnes of food fish in 2006.

• Half of all aquaculture production is finfish, a quarter is aquatic plants and the remaining quarter is made up of crustacea (such as shrimp, prawns, crabs) and molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels.

Most popular aquacultured species in the US

• #1 Catfish

• Tropical fish

• Water plants for ponds and lakes

• Clams, oysters, mussels,

• Tilapia

• Baitfish

Hydroponics

• The growing of plants in nutrient solutions with or without an inert medium (as soil) to provide mechanical support

Hydroponics

Hydroponics=soiless plant production

What’s needed for Hydroponics

• Nutrients

• Water

• Light

• Aeration around their roots

• NO SOIL!!!!

Chemical additions

• Lettuce and tomatoes are the top “legally” grown hydroponic plants in the US

What is Aquaponics?

• Aquaponics, the combination of Aquacultureand Hydroponics, is an integrated, soilesssystem for growing fish and plants.

• Aquaculture + Hydroponics

AquaponicsWhat is needed for Aquaponics?

• Fish

• Fish feed

• Beneficial nitrifying bacteria

• Plants

• Good Water Quality

• Oxygen

Why?• 90% less water used

• Year round production

• Clean, sustainable, food production

• Intensive production in small space

• No weeding, no gophers, no snails or slugs, no bending over

• Aquaponic systems can also be ornamental with Koi and flowering plants to brighten an outdoor living space.

Fish

• Ornamental or Foodfish?

Guideline: 1lb / 8-10 gallons of water

Freshwater Prawns!

Components

• Fish tank

• Grow tank/ media for plants

• Mechanical Filtration

• Biological Filtration

• Aeration

• Water pump

• Pipes for water flow

• Sun or lighting

3 crops- fish, plants, andbeneficial bacteria

Fish system

Grow bed (Filter)

Circulation

Nitrogen cycle

Plants

Media

• Supports/protects the roots

• Can be the filter for the system

• Provides surface area for bacteria

• Remineralization

At least 12” Deep

WaterChemistry is IMPORTANT• pH 6.5-7.0• Ammonia <1ppm• Nitrite <1ppm• Nitrate 20-80ppm• Alkalinity >20• Phosphorus 30-60ppm, iron 1-3ppm, calcium

(watch for deficiencies) slow fruit set or yellowing leaves

• Potassium 100ppm• Dechlorinated water

Oxygen

• Critically important!

• >5ppm

• Diffusers, or break surface tension ( waterfalls)

Light

• Only light the plant growing area- NO ALGAE

• Plants need light and dark

• Artificial light costs $ and generates heat

• Many different choices for lighting including:

Incandescent, fluorescent, High intensity Discharge lights(HID), LED, metal halides

Important to know the life span of your bulbs

Different types of growing systems

• Nutrient Film Technique

Guideline:~3lbs fish / 11sq ft

Media beds

Guideline: ~1 lb fish/1 sq ft

Surface Area

At least 12” deep if filtering

Red worms

Raft Systems

Guideline: ~4 lbs of fish/ 10 sq ft raft

Build or Buy?

14 heads of lettuce every 30 days with 3 pounds of fish

80 heads of Kale 30 lbs fish

Everybody’s Doing It!

Inspiring Passion and purpose through the discovery of arts and sciences.

Next Class 12/6/14