How will we feed and clothe 9 billion people in 2050?
Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture:
Growing fish, shrimp, algae, and irrigated
crops
Kevin Fitzsimmons University of Arizona
Professor and Extension Specialist
March 2014
Global food crisis
F Rapidly increasing population
F Diversion of foods to bio-fuels
F Increased costs for water, fertilizer, fuel
F Multiple demands for farmland (urban
sprawl, industrial and mining, solar and wind
generation, wildlife conservation, watershed
protection, global warming, etc.)
F Need for second generation biofuels
Integrated Aquaculture - Agriculture
F Green Revolution – achieved great increases in food production, but with heavy reliance on irrigation, fuel and fertilizers
F Blue Revolution – today more than 50% of seafood is farm raised. In 2012 the volume of fish farmed exceeded the volume of beef farmed. But with many environmental impacts (effluents causing eutrophication and spreading pathogens, algae blooms, cage and raft conflicts with other users in oceans, bays and lakes)
In water and nutrient deficient regions – critical to
reuse as much as possible
Green Revolution Blue Revolution
1. Fertilizer demand
2. Increase in irrigation
3. Chemical fertilizers
pollute groundwater
4. Industrial crops with by-
products
1. Aquaculture effluent
rich in N and P
2. Fish grow well in
irrigation water
3. Fish wastes are slow
release, organic
4. Fish feeds need
alternatives for fish
meal and oil
Historical perspective
F Traditional farming around the world integrated
livestock and crops
F East and South Asian farmers have long
tradition of integrating agriculture and
aquaculture
F Asian sustainable farming systems support huge
populations
F Fish – vegetable – rice (complex carbohydrate)
diet is recommended by most nutrition experts
Historical perspective
F Modern agriculture cannot follow Asian
model of small-farm integrated systems
(gardening)
F We need an industrial version merging
aqua- and agri- cultures
F Taking the best of the Green and Blue
Revolutions and the major supply of water
on the Earth
Seafood
• Seafoods, and fish specifically, are
high in protein, minerals and vitamins
• The fats that are present, tend to be
polyunsaturated fatty acids
• The omega 3 fatty acids are especially
important
Commercial fishing
• Rapidly declining industry
• Cannot compete with domesticated seafood
• In a few years, movies and TV shows about
fishing “Perfect Storm - Deadliest Catch -
Swords” will be considered in same vein as
stories about the last buffalo hunters and
beaver trappers.
• Romantic lifestyles that were always much
harsher and less lucrative than imagined
Competition with “wild” seafood:
• US fishing industry complains about
farm raised imports
• Current tariffs on Norwegian salmon,
Chinese crayfish, Vietnamese catfish,
and shrimp from Brazil, China,
Vietnam, Thailand and India
• Wild fish have difficulty competing on
price, quality and consistency
Wild vs Farmed
• Texas or Louisiana
Shrimper
• Go out and catch
wild shrimp
• Bring to shore and
sell
• Hawaii, Mexican or Thai shrimp
farmers
• Buy broodstock shrimp
• Build and operate hatchery
• Build and fill ponds
• Buy feed, pay workers to feed
• Pay workers to harvest and pack
• Pay to ship to Texas or LA
• Sell for same or less than wild
Top Ten Seafoods (U.S.)
per capita (lbs) 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 2 0 0 4 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 6 2 0 0 7 2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 2 0 10 2 0 11 2 0 12
T una 3 Shr i mp 3 Shr i mp 3.7 Shr i mp 4.0 Shr i mp 4.2 Shr i mp 4.1 Shr i mp 4.4 Shr i mp 4.1 Shr i mp 4 Shr i mp 4.1 Shr i mp 4.0 Shrimp 4.2 Shrimp 3.8
Shr i mp 3.2 T una 2.9 T una 3.1 T una 3.4 T una 3.4 T una 3.1 T una 2.9 T una 2.7 T una 2.8 T una 2.5 T una 2.7 Tuna 2.6 Tuna 2.4
Pol l ock 1.6 Sal mon 2.0 Sal mon 2.0 Sal mon 2.2 Sal mon 2.2 Sal mon 2.4 Sal mon 2.0 Sal mon 2.4 Sal mon 1.8 Sal mon 2.0 Sal mon 2.0 Salmon 2.0 Salmon 2.0
Sal mon 1.5 Pol l ock 1.2 Pol l ock 1.1 Pol l ock 1.7 Pol l ock 1.7 Pol l ock 1.5 Pol l ock 1.6 Pol l ock 1.7 Pol l ock 1.34 Pol l ock 1.45 T i l api a 1.45 Pollock 1.3 T ilapia 1.5
Cat f i sh 1.1 Cat f i sh 1.1 Cat f i sh 1.1 Cat f i sh 1.1 Cat f i sh 1.1 Cat f i sh 1.0 T i l api a 1.0 T i l api a 1.14 T i l api a 1.19 T i l api a 1.21 Pol l ock 1.2 Tilapia 1.3 Pollock 1.2
Cod 0.8 Cod 0.6 Cod 0.7 Cod 0.6 T i l api a 0.7 T i l api a 0.8 Cat f i sh 0.97 Cat f i sh 0.90 Cat f i sh 0.92 Cat f i sh 0.85 Cat f i sh 0.8 Pangasius 0.6 Pangasius 0.7
Cl ams 0.5 Cl ams 0.5 Cr abs 0.6 Cr abs 0.6 Cod 0.6 Cr abs 0.6 Cr abs 0.7 Cr abs 0.68 Cr abs 0.61 Cr abs 0.59 Cr abs 0.6 Catfish 0.6 Crabs 0.5
Cr abs 0.4 Cr abs 0.4 Cl ams 0.5 T i l api a 0.5 Cr abs 0.6 Cod 0.6 Cod 0.5 Cod 0.47 Cod 0.44 Cod 0.42 Cod 0.5 Crabs 0.5 Cod 0.5
Fl at f i sh 0.4 Fl at f i sh 0.4 T i l api a 0.4 Cl ams 0.5 Cl ams 0.5 Cl ams 0.4 Cl ams 0.4 Cl ams 0.45 Fl at f i sh 0.43 Cl ams 0.41 Pangasi us 0.4 Cod 0.5 Catfish 0.5
Scal l ops 0.3 T i l api a 0.4 Fl at f i sh 0.3 Scal l ops 0.3 Scal l ops 0.3 Scal l ops 0.3 Scal l ops 0.3 Fl at f i sh 0.32 Cl ams 0.42 Pangasi us 0.35 Cl ams 0.35 Clams 0.3 Clams 0.3
T i l api a 0.3
Future of farmed seafoods • Commercial fisheries will phase out in
favor of sport fishing
• Farmed products will account for vast
majority of seafood.
• Environmental sustainability is
increasing rapidly and will be achieved
well before land farming.
• Price and quality will continue to
improve rapidly
New Cage Designs
Cages for warm water marine fishes
Bivalve rearing – environmentally benign
Thousands of kilometers
of arid coastlines
Developing countries with arid
coastlines
F Essentially unlimited supply of water
F Desert coastlines are in countries with some
of the fastest population growth rates and
food insecurity
F We need to provide jobs and food to these
populations
Desert Coastal Integrated Systems
F Shrimp / fish Halophytes and seaweeds
Shrimp and Salicornia (halophyte)
Arizona Research on Integrated
Systems
F Tilapia Grapes, wheat, olives, barley,
sorghum, cotton, melons, peppers
Safford, AZ Marana, AZ
Tilapia/koi/catfish to
cotton/barley irrigation
Aquaponics
Fish and lettuce
Fish-shrimp-halophytes Eritrea
Shrimp and fish ponds
Mangroves
Salicornia
Salicornia
Mangroves
KAB. ACEH BESAR
(3.450) Ha
KAB. ACEH PIDIE
(5.073) Ha KAB.
BIREUN(6.710) Ha
Demonstration ponds stocked with Gracilaria
Aceh Besar
SEAWEED IS READY FOR HARVEST
SEAWEED HARVESTING
Shrimp/fish and edible seaweeds
Tilapia and citrus in HaiNan, China
Olives with aquaculture
effluent Olives with well water
Jeddah Fish Farming Center
Fish, Shrimp and Seaweeds Gracilaria and Ulva
National Prawn Company,
Saudi Arabia
Shrimp - Seaweeds - Microalgae
Marine fish – seaweeds Fish cage effluents
(feed and feces)
fertilize seaweed
F Workshops and training
F Field visits to farmers
Conclusions • Opportunity for rich countries to assist
developing countries with education and
technology
• Plenty of demand for high quality seafood in
international and domestic markets
• Fish, shrimp, algae are all valuable products now
on international markets
• Integrated aquaculture – agriculture is sustainable
and profitable
Seawater Farming Sustainable - Environmentally and Economically
