1. Best Management Practices for integration of water and fisheries resources in lowland ecosystems Kevin Fitzsimmons, Ph.D. Professor, University of Arizona Visiting Fulbright Professor, AIT, Thailand President, World Aquaculture Society International Workshop on Integrated Water and Fisheries Resources Management in Developing Countries Sept. 20, 2004

2. Introduction F Vastly increasing demand on aquatic resources F Need to protect water supplies from pollution and degradation F Require improvements in water use efficiencies F Polyculture and integrated farming systems will lead the way

3. Introduction F Polyculture and integrated systems in Asia are thousands of years old. F These highly efficient systems and the healthy diets they produce are a primary reason for the high populations in East and South Asia. F Now we need further enhancements and applications to other production systems, especially for new species, larger growing systems and in developed countries

4. Introduction F Over 40 million hectares are irrigated globally. F Irrigation water is well suited for aquaculture and aquaculture effluent is ideal for plant crops. F Multiple-use of water is an important aspect of sustainable aquaculture systems. F Fish effluents should be used as input to another crop.

5. Benefits F Water is already controlled. F Either pumped from groundwater or diverted from natural or man-made watercourses. F Reservoirs and canal structures are easily adapted as locations for fish culture. F Water is usually of high quality, often from the same source as drinking water. F Most water fit for drinking and/or agriculture, is fine for fish.

6. Aquaculture Effluent Management F US - EPA is in process of regulating all US aquaculture wastes F Field crop irrigation is accepted as a “Best Management Practice” by EPA and several states

7. Pond culture integrated to field crop irrigation Fish farm with surrounding crops Crops with small irrigation ponds

8. On farm storage ponds F Growing in ponds or cages in ponds. Cages in Washington farm pond Cages in reservoir in Arizona

9. Sprinkler irrigation from Washington fish pond

10. Research Projects - Integration of aquaculture and agriculture F 1. Irrigate cotton crops with water from catfish/tilapia/koi ponds and well water F 2. Measure differences in water quality, nitrogen and phosphorus application & cotton height and yield F 3. Determine economic impact

11. Research Projects - Integration of aquaculture and agriculture F First use of water for semi-intensive pond culture. F Pond filled with well water. F Catfish, tilapia and koi stocked at 7,000 ha F Second use to irrigate and fertilize cotton in summer, barley in winter. F Replicated plots irrigated with well water and pond water with and without chemical fertilizers.

13. PVC Pond culture to crop irrigation-trials

14. Stocking fish into pond and cages

15. The Field

16. Pond culture to crop irrigation-trials

17. The Cotton Yield

18. Results - Integration of aquaculture and agriculture F Water pH reduced from 8.3 to 8.0 F Added 19.7 kg/ha N to 45 kg/ha used in standard fertilization schedule.

19. Results - Integration of aquaculture and agriculture F Contributed 2.6 kg/ha P to crop.

20. Plant height with Fish Effluent, Standard Fertilizer and Well Water

21. Pond Harvest

25. Results - Integration of aquaculture and agriculture: F Increased plant height but, no significant difference in cotton yield. F No negative impacts on soils. F Split cost of water results in savings to farmers ($120/ha).

26. Results - Integration of aquaculture and agriculture: F Other expected benefits (additional experiments needed to confirm & quantify): 1. Slow release of organic wastes as fertilizer. 2. Less chance of nitrates migrating to groundwater. 3. Increase soil tilth (soil moisture capacity).

27. Integrated tilapia - shrimp - plant systems F Shrimp F Tilapia F Seaweed F Halophytes Puerto Peñasco, Mexico

28. Integrated shrimp production F All types of systems can be integrated with crops. Extensive ponds Intensive ponds Intensive raceways

29. Shrimp in low salinity waters F Low salinity water can be used on certain conventional crops with proper cultivation/irrigation techniques. SorghumOlives

30. Research Project - Shrimp effluent on crops F 12 hectares of ponds, one greenhouse F Stocking Litopenaeus vannamei –35 shrimp/m 2 @ 0.4 g F Feed - Rangen F Aeration –Paddlewheels –Diffusers

31. RESULTS Low salinity integrated system F Water exchange: 10-15% F Survival 70% F Harvest after 95 days, @ 21 g F Yield – 7,500 kg/ha –12 ha of ponds F Effluent used on olives, sorghum, cotton

32. RESULTS Low salinity F 0.07 mg/L NH 3, 0.321 mg/L NO 2, 21.2 mg/L NO 3, 0.17 mg/L total P F Fertilizer value about 43 kg/ha N and 0.34 kg/ha P

33. Sustainable shrimp in high salinity locations F Effluents can be used for halophytes, seaweeds or reconstructed mangroves. F Halophytes have agronomic potential F Seaweeds are effective biofilters absorbing nutrients. F Mangroves are needed for restoration and many farms are required to provide mitigation.

34. Goals of the shrimp-seaweed polyculture Project F Cottage industry for Native Hawaiians in rural Hawaii. F Re-introduce a traditional food to the Hawaiian diet. Market to chefs producing native dishes for tourist trade. Provide economic incentive to protect ancient Hawaiian Fish Ponds. F Demonstrate integrated polyculture system.

35. Cages stocked in Uahaulapue Fish Pond

36. Simple cage construction

37. Gracilaria being washed in cage

38. Rinsing Gracilaria at harvest

39. Ohia shrimp farm pond

40. Ohia shrimp farm F Slightly inland - behind mangroves (which are not native to Hawaii) F Effluent goes through drain channel to leach channel. F Effluent filters through porous soil and coral rubble, into ocean.

41. Drain channel and leach channel

42. Gracilaria was stocked into effluent drain and leach pond F Gracilaria was removed from cages in ponds. F Individual thalli were weighed and stocked into effluent channel at 4 kg/m 3. F Thalli were weighed weekly. F Samples were taken for C:N determination. F Water samples analyzed for NH 4, NO 3, PO 4 and turbidity.

43. Ave. water quality in effluent channel F NH 4 = 62 mmol m 3 (1.1 mg/l) F NO 3 = 2.9 mmol m 3 (0.2 mg/l) F PO 4 = 3.7 mmol m 3 (0.35 mg/l) F Turbidity = 4.0 NTU

44. Nitrogen content increase in thalli (% N)

45. G. parvispora growth in effluent channel F 4.7 % daily relative growth rate F Nitrogen content increased from 1.3% to 3.1% F C:N ratio decreased from 30:1 to 10:1

46. G. parvispora returned to cages in ponds F Treatment 1: Thalli from effluent channel stocked into cages stocked in pond F Treatment 2: Thalli fertilized in on shore tanks with commercial fertilizers, stocked into pond F Treatment 3: Thalli placed in tanks, no fertilizer, returned to cages in pond

47. Randomized cages stocked in pond after soaking in shrimp farm effluent, fertilizer, or plain seawater

48. Relative daily growth rates over 4 weeks

49. Results F Thalli in effluent channel removed (fixed) 3 kg of N per every 100 kg of seaweed placed in channel. F G. parvispora in channel grew 4.7 % per day. F G. parvispora fertilized in channel and stocked back into cages in pond, grew 9.7% per day for first week.

50. Conclusions F G. parvispora can grow in effluent channels and remove large amounts of nitrogen. F The seaweed probably also removes significant amounts of other pollutants (nutrients). F G. parvispora can be fertilized in channel and placed in cages in ponds for rapid growth.

51. Shrimp and Seaweeds F Gracilaria and shrimp production in Hawaii

52. Shrimp and irrigation of Halophytes F Many families of plants have halophytic representatives. F Grasses, bushes, trees F Many are from arid regions F Native species are usually available F Can be used for forage, biomass, habitat, landscaping, and dust control

53. Integrated shrimp-tilapia-mangrove- Salicornia farm in Eritrea

54. Production in Low, Intermediate and High shrimp density ponds with tilapia in cages in Eritrea Average kg shrimp and tilapia/pond

55. Growth of shrimp in polyculture with tilapia in cages in Eritrea

56. Shrimp and halophytes

57. Review F Necessary to be more efficient with water resources. F Also need to limit additions of nutrients to water, use them instead as fertilizers for plants (in soil or in water) F Use ancient knowledge applied to new systems F Thank you for opportunity to present our research