Aquaculture, Aquaponics and Tutoring Urban Students with Tilapia Steven G. Hughes Aquaculture Research and Education Laboratory Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

The Aquaculture Research and Education Laboratory The Aquaculture Research Education Laboratory of Cheyney University – (AREL) is designed to meet the education, extension, and research needs of this region and its critical waterways. Though the development of an urban aquaculture program in this region is its primary focus, projects and course work involving aspects of marine and freshwater biology and ecology, and aquatic animal biology also provide part of the program’s foundation

Constraints On Urban Aquaculture and Aquaponics Limited Water Resources Limited Space Need High Return On Dollars Invested Need To Control Environment If You Are Teaching In This Area, Need To Recognize Who Comprises Your Student Base

Objectives for this Presentation What’s Different About the Urban Student? What’s Different About Teaching Aquaculture and Aquaponics to this Group? What Are We Trying to Accomplish when Teaching Aquaculture and Aquaponics to this Group? The Business Example

What’s Different About the Student? As a rule, this group has limited experience with the aquatic environment and their educational experience is not geared to the “Natural” environment.

What’s Different About the Student? Many of these students have very limited travel experience. Maybe even less experience with food diversity

What’s Different About the Student? These students may have a limited understanding of the husbandry sciences and how they relate to animal/food production and everyday life.

What’s Different About Aquaculture and Aquaponics for this Group? The first problem is: WHAT ARE AQUACULTURE AND AQUAPONICS?!!!

History of Aquaculture and Aquaponics These husbandry sciences have been a part of agriculture for over 3,000 years in China and Egypt

What’s Different About Aquaculture and Aquaponics for this Group? There is a need to explain the differences and similarities between “Aqua” Culture vs. “Aquarium” Culture “Aquaponics” vs. “Hydroponics”

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTION: AQUAPONICS Fish Feed Fish Growth Fish Waste Microbial Growth Plant Growth

BASIC SYSTEM DESIGN

RANGE OF SIZES

What’s Different About Aquaculture and Aquaponics for this Group? The “jargon” of aquatic culture is truly foreign and needs to be “translated” to be meaningful. Some examples: Biological Filtration Deep Water and Shallow Water Culture Hybrids and Triploids Floating Rafts Spawning Germination

What’s Different About Aquaculture and Aquaponics for this Group? Lastly, little or no understanding of the challenges associated with living in an aquatic environment. Some Examples: Oxygen and gas transfer rates Temperature optima Osmoregulation Buoyancy Root physiology

So What Are We Trying to Accomplish by Teaching Aquaculture and Aquaponics? Get the students excited about aquaculture – the “Ooh-Ahh” Factor. Trying to re-establish the “Man-Nature” connection. Re-establish a connection to agriculture. Put a practical application to learning in the classroom

So What Are We Trying to Accomplish by Teaching Aquaculture and Aquaponics? Create Professional Development Opportunities for Our Teachers Expand their knowledge of science Add sustainability projects to the classroom Opportunities for research Opportunities for public outreach

So What Are We Trying to Accomplish by Teaching Aquaculture and Aquaponics? Expanding Use of Technology Monitoring devices Computer software integration Distance learning and the creation of virtual networks Understanding filtration technologies

So What Are We Trying to Accomplish by Teaching Aquaculture and Aquaponics? Bringing Living Organisms into the Classroom Environment Better understanding of how man impacts our planet Development of responsibility and caring Better understanding of how each organism can support symbiotic relationships

So What Are We Trying to Accomplish by Teaching Aquaculture and Aquaponics? Teaching Across Curricula. Math and science (particularly biology and chemistry) Consumer and business skills (sales, business management, marketing, and economics) Social sciences and history Community structure and redevelopment

So What Are We Trying to Accomplish by Teaching Aquaculture and Aquaponics? Establish a practical understanding and use of basic knowledge. Math and science (particularly biology and chemistry) Consumer and business skills (sales, business management, marketing, and economics) Better understanding of how man impacts our planet Development of responsibility and caring

The Business Example Aquaculture development in the U.S. takes many forms ranging from the intensive culture of food fish species to the extensive culture of plants and shellfish. For 2010, USDA-NASS estimated U.S. Aquaculture had about 4300 “farms” and over $1billion in sales Of this, about 360 operations raised ornamental fish (about 8.4%) and had over $51 million in sales ( about 5.1%) Most of these sales came from Florida ($33 million) and Arkansas ($3 million), but Pennsylvania was third ($1 million)

The Business Example We can see that one area that is often ignored, but can be very profitable, is the intensive culture of ornamental species for the aquarium trade. One problem with this area of aquaculture is that much of the information on the commercial culture of these species remains anecdotal or the data is not related to the intensive commercial production of the species. If more data were available on the economics of production for these species, there might develop a greater interest in using small scale commercial production as the basis for supplemental income.

The Business Example The Economic “Weight” Of Ornamental Fish Tilapia Weighing 1 lb Sells For $1.25/lb Wholesale ½ - ¾” Corydoras aneus Weighing 2 g Will Sell For About $0.60 Each or $136/lb !! Also consider facility costs, feed costs, time of rearing, etc.

A Terrible Rewrite Give a man a fish, and you have fed him for a day. But teach a man to raise fish, and you have not only fed him for life, but you have begun to teach him his place in the world.

Thank You!!!! Steven G. Hughes, Ph.D. Professor of Biology and Director Aquaculture Research and Education Laboratory Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Box 200 Cheyney, PA 19319 shughes@cheyney.edu T: 610-399-2400 F: 610-399-2596