Environmental Resources Unit C Animal Wildlife Management

Problem Area 3 Fish Management

Exploring the Aquaculture Industry Lesson 1

Exploring the Aquaculture Industry If you were to go to a fish hatchery, what questions would you like to ask?

Terms Alligators Aqua crop Aquaculture Bluegill Fish Freshwater Fry Hatchery Lobsters Prawn Production cycle Raceways Saltwater Shrimp Spring water Surface runoff Tilapia Water facility Water quality Well water

Objectives Discuss terms used for aquaculture and fish anatomy. Identify major species used in aquaculture. List management and nutrient requirements of aquaculture. Describe freshwater and saltwater aquaculture production systems. Explain harvesting an marketing of aquaculture products

What are terms used in aquaculture? Aquaculture –Production of aquatic vegetation and animals. Aqua crop –Commercially produced water species Freshwater –Water that contains little or no salt Saltwater –Water containing over 16.5 parts per thousand of salt

What are terms used in aquaculture? Fish –Animals that have gills instead of lungs and are vertebrates (having backbones) Hatchery –A facility where eggs are incubated and hatched by artificial means Fry –A newly hatched fish

What are terms used in aquaculture? Water quality –Used to describe how suitable water is to a specific use Surface runoff –Water that is not absorbed by the soil from rain Well water –Water drawn up by wells from underground aquifers Spring water –Water from natural openings in the earth and the quality is similar to well water

What major species are used in aquaculture? Tilapia –Fish well suited for aquaculture. –Originally found if Africa. –Grow and reproduce very quickly. –Sensitive to cold temperatures. –Used to control vegetation in ponds and lakes. aquaculture/aquastel

What major species are used in aquaculture? Shrimp –Name used to describe approximately 2,000 species of crustaceans. –Mainly bottom dwellers and scavengers. –Feed slowly on both plant and animal organisms. research.html

What major species are used in aquaculture? Prawn –Any large shrimp

What major species are used in aquaculture? Lobsters –Crustaceans with hard shells that live in saltwater. –Found on the bottom of the ocean under rocks and in holes. –Eat other lobsters, crabs, snails, and small fish. techhouse.brown.edu/~dmorris/ lobsters/lobsters.html

What major species are used in aquaculture? Alligators –Large reptiles used for meat and hides. –Farms are found in the Southern states including Mississippi and Louisiana. gator.html

What major species are used in aquaculture? Frogs –Legs of bullfrogs are used for meat and in great demand. –Also used for research. –Hard to raise commercially due to their complex life cycle /mar30/opinions/evolving.html

What major species are used in aquaculture? Eels –Used for food especially in Japan. –Elvers are raised in ponds. –Caught by fisherman in their natural environments.

What major species are used in aquaculture? Bluegills –A sunfish that has a deep compressed head and a small mouth. –Fairly easy to produce. –Well adapted to various climates. bluegills.htm

How do you manage and feed aquaculture species? Production cycle –The complete production of a crop from seed stock to market size. –Water environments can be complex, careful feed and management is required for a profitable business.

How do you manage and feed aquaculture species? Animals will become diseased and inefficient if they are malnourished –Proper amount of protein, fat, minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins must be fed according to type of animal raising. There are natural foods and man-made feeds used in aquaculture.

How do you manage and feed aquaculture species? Natural foods –Foods that grow naturally. –Example: plankton –Harvested and fed to aqua crops. Man-made feed –Produced according to the needs of what type of animal you are producing.

How do you manage and feed aquaculture species? Management includes –Monitoring facilities –Monitoring equipment –Maintaining water quality aquaculture.htm

What are freshwater and saltwater production systems like? Aquatic environment you create for your species depends on what is necessary for the species to survive. Water facility –The environment or structure in which your aqua crop is raised.

How do you manage and feed aquaculture species? Ponds –Made by humans or created by nature –Vary in size –Cannot have flowing water –Designed for easy harvesting –Usually freshwater –Usually 3 to 5 feet deep –Monitor for excessive vegetation and water quality

How do you manage and feed aquaculture species? Raceways –human-made –use flowing water –normally long, narrow and 3 to 4 feet deep –advantage is having more oxygen and carrying waste away. –disadvantage is having to use pumps and more water. coho_archivetags_obj1.htm

How do you manage and feed aquaculture species? Tanks –Made of metal, concrete, and other materials. –Come in various shapes and sizes. –Management is easier because of smaller size.

How do you manage and feed aquaculture species? Pens and cages –Materials used to confine species to a small area in a very large body of water. –Used to make harvesting and managing aqua crops easier. web.uvic.ca/bmlp/news/news46.html

How do you harvest aqua crops? Harvesting and marketing aqua crops vary with species and production systems. –Harvesting The capturing of fish used for consumption. Fish raised in tanks are easy to harvest because of size. Dip nets are used to harvest from tanks. Seine is used to harvest from raceways. Ponds are more complicated to harvest because the pond may need to be drained.

How do you market aqua crops? Marketing of aquatic products can be direct or indirect –Direct marketing Simple Sell right to consumer –Indirect marketing Complex Product is changed and then sold to others who will sell the products to consumer.

How do you market aqua crops? Marketing is only as good as the market for the product. Always make sure you have a dependable buyer for your products before you invest the money to grow them.

Review / Summary What are terms used in aquaculture? What major species are used in aquaculture? How do you manage and feed aquaculture species? What are freshwater and saltwater systems like? How do you harvest and market aqua crops?