Alternative Aquaculture Systems

Industry Overview

The Aquaculture industry blossomed rapidly, and became a significant supplier of food over the last couple of decades. Aqua Farming is now practiced worldwide, each year it increases in scope and significance. The aquaculture industry grew out of necessity, the chief reason being that the traditional practice of hunting and gathering of food by fishing became unsustainable in many areas of the world. Read More Here



Growth Trough Innovation

The need for change in seafood supply lead us to Aquaculture and now the need for changes in the way we farm fish has lead us to developing alternative methods to conduct aquaculture in a more sustainable manner. One of new technologies that are having a tremendous impact upon the way we farm fish is land based farming in enclosed tanks using water recycling systems. Read More Here

An innovative combination of fish and vegetable farming methods that is experiencing renewed interest and rapid growth around the world is Aquaponics. This farming method is essentially the rebirth of age old practices and is now used to farm vegetables, herbs and fish synergistically. It is an eco-friendly way to naturally produce quality food for home use or for sale. This scalable farming method is being embraced by many small home growers and even large operations that are using the process and methods as a means of producing sustainable fish and plant crops. Read More Here

Aquaculture Industry Size

Aquaculture, probably the fastest growing food-producing sector, now accounts for nearly 50 percent of the world's food fish. The reason for this is very simple, aqua farming is the best and most sustainable method to meet the demand for fresh seafood products that our population creates. It is now a widely held view that the worldwide biomass of wild fish and shellfish (stocks) are continuing to be depleted at a rate that surprises even those scientists that made dire predictions a few short years ago. Read More Here.

Types of Aquaculture Technologies

There are many types of systems and farm designs used to grow fish. These include; ponds, net cages in lakes or oceans, rectangle raceway tanks, circular (round) tanks, earthen tanks lined with plastics or clays and other forms of containment. Basic Land based fish farms involve the use of one or more types of tanks or ponds and generally have water piped in and out to maintain life support for the fish and to flush the tanks of waste products. Basic designs may also include mechanical aeration equipment for adding oxygen to water.

In recent years land based farms have advanced in technology to become more eco-friendly and to provide greater security and control of the farming process. The most advanced of these are known as water recirculation systems or RAS designs. Advancements in design and technology are being driven in part by the need to develop alternative methods for aquaculture and by the demand for more fish and secure supplies.

Read more here

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4,000 Pounds of Organic Vegetables Per Month, With 1/10th The Space

Sustainability and Aquaculture

People have been farming fish for thousands of years. Today, a wide range of plants and animals are grown in aquaculture farms both on a commercial scale and subsistence level. As a result of the growing world population and a shift in western societies towards healthier eating patterns commercial scale fish farming has had to expand to fill the need for fresh fish and seafood. Aquaculture is well suited to meeting this increasing demand for seafood. Out of need, we realized as a society, centuries ago, that we could not sustain ourselves with hunting and gathering of land foods. Much the same today, we must also face the very same facts when it comes to harvest of the waters.

Commercial scale fish farmers and western consumers are not the only beneficiaries of increased aquaculture production. Several low-income food-deficit countries are big aquaculture producers. In these countries aquaculture contributes to poverty alleviation and to the enhanced supply of fish products to poor people in rural and urban areas.

In addition to the massive direct food production benefits, fish farming technologies also play a supporting role to the wild fishery by making possible fish restocking and enhancement activities and by filling a complimentary niche in export markets. Indeed the sharp decline in some “wild fish Stocks” is mitigated in part by supplemental production of young seed stock in hatcheries.

The inherent efficiencies of farming versus fishing for the wild catch (hunting) will continue to further a progressive switch from fishing to fish farming. In the late 1990’s the FAO estimated that the cost of catching fish in the wild, on a global basis, was already about 25% higher than the true value of the catch. Much of the difference was made up in subsidies and other forms of financial support.

Alternative Production Methods and Advancements in Aquaculture

Land based aquaculture is a food sector that is sustainable, renewable and provides safe high quality food products to consumers while creating considerable benefits for the general population. Based on science and technology, it is a market driven sector that has emerged to provide consumers with value, taste and convenience in consumption of seafood and other Aquatic products similar to that expected from other food commodities.

Aqua Farming requires clean growing waters to maintain a satisfactory level of production. Therefore, the industry has to encourage environmentally friendly practices and has taken many practical steps to protect the local environment. In fact without ensuring protection of the environment, the industry itself would flounder. Such safeguards include government measures controlling the introduction of new species and the transfer of fish, fish health protection, better site selection, and actions to minimize fish escapes and prevent waste discharges.

Land based fish farms that utilize technology to recycle and reuse water supplies and to prevent waste discharge and fish escapement are among the most eco-friendly and sustainable methods of aquaculture. Farms that incorporate water recirculation aquaculture systems into their design are proven to be the most eco-friendly of all commercial fish farms.

Taking these systems one step further involves the incorporation of polyculture techniques, where plant crops are grown with the nutrients produced by the fish crop. This is known as Aquaponics a farming technique that is becoming more common in the design of both small and larger scale farms. Land based farms using Aquaponics is one of the most promising of alternative aquaculture practices.

Aquaculture books and reference materials.

The Need for Aquaculture

Aquaculture is probably the fastest growing food producing sector in the world. During the past three decades, aquaculture has expanded, diversified, intensified and made technological advances. The potential of this industry to enhance local food security, alleviate poverty and improve rural livelihoods has been well recognized

The present level of aquaculture production was driven out of necessity. Just as Agriculture became imperative to the existence of mankind, so now has Aquaculture become the only sustainable method of producing high quality seafood. One needs only to review commercial fishery statistics to see that the world's demand for fish and seafood has exceeded the levels that hunting and gathering wild fisheries can support. Recent data suggests that aquaculture now accounts for over 50% of the entire worldwide seafood supply. It is estimated that at least an additional 40 million tonnes of aquatic food will be required by 2030 to maintain the current per capita consumption.

Read more at this page

Introducing New Closed Loop Aqua Farming Blog

To better define and provide information on aquaculture and aquaponics, I have begun a new blog that will focus on the topic of Closed Loop Aqua Farms. Where land based aquaculture is integrated with aquaponics and other farming methods designed to make maximum use of resources and farming bi-products. The new blog is titled Closed Loop Aqua  Farms. It can be found at this link

I will continue to post information here that is more specific to Aquaculture only particularly intensive land based farming using water recirculation systems. Of course recent and relative news will be blogged on both sites where appropriate.

This should help provide my readers with more more information that is better presented.

The new blog will focus more on the topic of aquaponics and poly-culture farm scenarios.

Closed Loop Aqua Farming Blog

The Image below is an illustration of the Closed Loop process that I will be blogging on.

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Aquaponics use in sustainable fish and plant farming

Aquaponics use in sustainable fish and plant farming

This post provides a quick review of the NorthernAquaFarmsCom recently updated web page containing an introductory article that describes aquaponics in simple terms.

The Following is an exert from the article:

Modern day aquaponics is essentially the rebirth of age old practices to farm vegetables, herbs and fish in a self contained eco-system. It is an eco-friendly way to naturally produce quality food for home use or for sale. This scalable farming method is experiencing renewed interest worldwide with many small home growers and large operations employing the process as a means of producing sustainable fish and plant crops. Read More

Northern Aqua farms has also added a new web store offering a wide range of Aqua Farming and Hobby farming Books, Ready to assemble Home Aquaponics Systems, outdoor apparel and outdoor equipment and gear.

Responsible Aquaculture Program

I spent time lately reading many of the arguments "pro and con" that that seem to pop up when Aquaculture is the topic. Numerous opinions have been expressed and there doesn't appear to be a shortage of media attention in certain areas. That robust activity is welcome. It exists in discussions of any industry or of any practice. As educated consumers we are entitled to review information, decide one way or another and make our choices.

Aquaculture isn’t a new idea, people have practiced Aquaculture for a few thousand years, yet in the modern world today, we still debate just about every news release on the subject. Sometimes we read news statements that are generally based in fact and other statements that contain a few elements of truth designed and emphasized to trigger certain feelings within the population.

Sadly there are a few attention focused presentations within the media that carry very little true research value or census value, and lean toward a more mumble and jumble “argument” that almost always attempts to pigeon hole an industry while presenting the “we told you so attitude” directed at the normal consumer. The reasoning behind this isn’t within my ability to explain.

Last year I wrote a few pages concerning the history and needs satisfied by Aquaculture. In other writings I also talked about the need for improvement.

The Global Aquaculture Alliance efforts to improve the way that Aquaculture is conducted should not go un-noticed.

Statements from the website:

The Responsible Aquaculture Program was developed to promote best management practices for aquaculture operators. The RAP program encourages the culture of safe, wholesome seafood in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. More importantly, it is also intended to improve the efficiency and long-term sustainability of the aquaculture industry.

The Responsible Aquaculture Program began as a straightforward set of "Guiding Principles for Responsible Aquaculture" that promote a cooperative approach to establishing aquaculture operations that reflect environmental, economic, and social sustainability. The principles call for minimal ecological impacts, water conservation, improved feed and drug use, and reductions in effluents.

The Global Aquaculture Alliance is an international, nonprofit trade association dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture. GAA recognizes that aquaculture "the culture and farming of fish, shellfish and other aquatic organisms" is the only sustainable means of increasing seafood supply to meet growing food needs.””

Give the link a look.

If we didn’t farm anything period, full stop, where would we be? Can we feed 6 billion people on politics or advertising? Everyday people supply veggies, meats and fish to the world. Managing the resources will play a major factor in the future. Increasing the "food" and ecomonic value of the resources is a factor best left out of media spins.



Rob Freeman