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. www.sun.ac.za/kie/unistel/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.
www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/global/research.html
What major species are used in aquaculture?
• Prawn
– Any large shrimp
www.quantum-prawn-breeding.com
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.
www.dnr.state.sc.us/wild/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.
www.varsity.utoronto.ca/archives/120/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.
www.musc.edu/cando/fishfarm
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.
www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/kids/.../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
www.wvsc.edu/planning/land_grant/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.
www.absc.usgs.gov/research/.../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.
http://www.dvz.be/aquaculture.htm
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?