SALTWATER / BRACKISH- WATER AQ [objectives] Chapter 14 Discuss fundamentals of sw/bw AQ Identify and explain the kinds of facilities and sites ID and explain production considerations Discuss government regs Discuss culture of shrimp, salmon, mollusks, crustaceans and fish
FUNDAMENTALS 15 states have shorelines on the Atlantic Ocean, 5 on the GOM, and 5 on Pacific Saltwater and brackish-water aquaculture is called as mariculture Salinity is the amount of salt in water Salinity is measured either with a hydrometer, a refractometer, or a salinometer
HYDROMETER
REFRACTOMETER
SALINOMETER
SITES AND FACILITIES Shore – land next to the ocean Intertidal – area covered with water during high tide but not during low Sublittoral – shallow inshore areas Seabed – the ground always covered by the sea Open ocean – away from shore
SHORE AQUACULTURE
INTERTIDAL AQUACULTURE
SUBLITTORAL
SEABED AQUACULTURE
OPEN OCEAN
SHRIMP AQUACULTURE Ideal for intensive cultivation Grow rapidly in intensive facilities Great product demand Main species cultured: *brown shrimp *white shrimp *pink shrimp
SHRIMP brown white pinktiger
PRODUCING SEED Gravid females must be captured or produced Capturing larval shrimp from the wild is difficult Baby shrimp are called nauplii and eat plankton Postlarval stage lasts about 50 days Production ranges from pounds per acre
SALMON AQUACULTURE Salmon are anadromous (live in saltwater; spawn in freshwater) Salmon farming – fish are raised from fry in tanks, ponds, or cages Salmon ranching – smolt are released in streams; they migrate to ocean; grow to adults and return to release stream to spawn
sockeye coho chumpink
FISH LADDERS
SALMON EGGS, ALEVINS, AND SMOLT
MOLLUSKS The oyster is the most important mollusk commonly cultured in the U.S. Other cultured bivalves include clams, mussels, and scallops Cultured gastropods include abalone and snails
BIVALVE MOLLUSKS oysterclams mussels scallops
OYSTER AQUACULTURE Oysters change from males to females as they get larger One female may release 50 to 100 million eggs per spawn Eggs hatch within a few hours after fertilization Turn into spat after 2 weeks and settle onto hard substrate (cultch)
OYSTER AQUACULTURE (cont’d.) Oysters are filter feeders (plankton) Commonly grown on seabed, trays, cages, rafts, and nets Oysters require little management except for diseases and predators Diseases include oyster fungus, dermo, and MSX Predators include fish, seastars, and gastropods
OYSTER PREDATORS Oyster drill Cownose ray Sea star
HARVESTING Oysters cultured on seafloor are typically harvested by tonging, dredging, or diving
OYSTER GARDENING
GASTROPODS Two gastropods are primarily cultured; abalone and snails (escargot)
OTHER CULTURED SPECIES Lobsters Blue crabs Mullet Milkfish Pompano Redfish Cobia Flounder Grouper Dolphin
LOBSTERS Maine lobster Florida spiney lobster
BLUE CRABS
MULLET
MILKFISH
POMPANO
REDFISH
COBIA (LING)
FLOUNDER
GROUPER
DOLPHIN (MAHI MAHI)