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Sunday 23 May 2021

Aquaculture Production System and its Types

 

E-paper content

Different Types of Aquaculture Production System

 

·  Highlights of topic:
·       What is Aquaculture?
·       Types of farming practices in aquaculture
·       Advances in aquaculture production systems
·       What is Aquaponics?
·       What is Biofloc technology?
·       Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture
·       Recirculatory aquaculture system (RAS)
·       What is organic aquaculture?
·       What is Aquamimicry?


Abstract:

Aquaculture production systems are constantly modified for bringing ease in operation and attaining higher efficiency in terms of cost and benefits. The current article aims is highlighting the recent technological advancements in the aquaculture systems based on the R&D efforts and indigenous technical knowledge (ITK).

 

Introduction

            Fish represent both a vital contribution to the human food supply and an extremely important component of world trade and economy. The world capture fisheries attained almost a stable and constant production during the recent years. Whereas the aquaculture production tends to be dynamic and aquaculture shows an increasing trend. Fisheries sector serves as a substantial source of income and livelihood for hundreds of millions of people around the world and it comparatively remains a crucial source of food and nutrition. The global population in 2020 is around 7.8 billion and it is anticipated to reach more than 9 billion by 2050.

Aquaculture production systems

Global fish production reached about 179 MMT in 2018, with a total sale value of USD 401 billion. 82MMT of this production, valued at USD 250 billion, came alone from aquaculture. Of the total production, 156 million tonnes were used for human food, equivalent to anannual supply of 20.5 kg per capita. (FAO, 2020).


aquaculture production

The following table represents the world fisheries and aquaculture production till the year of 2018 (SOFIA, 2020).

            

Types of farming practices in aquaculture

Aquaculture refers to the cultivation/ rearing/raising of aquatic organisms for commercial, recreational or public purpose. Due to diversification of aquaculture operations, the description of various types of aquaculture systems may be intricate and puzzled too. Aquaculture is an extremely diverse enterprise. Aquaculture is performed in very different environments (freshwater, brackish water, saltwater), which represent extremely distinguished environmental and physiological challenges to the animal being raised and to the associated fauna and flora. This is also work with many different species, where some estimates exceed 600 economically important culture sand the number is growing each year.

Based on the type of enclosure and water sources aquaculture can be broadly categorized into:


1.     Open culture e.g. Bivalve culture, Pen culture, cage culture.
2.     Semi enclosed culture e.g. Pond culture, Raceways.
3.     Closed culture e.g. RAS, biofloc based system.
4. Hybrid system e.g. integrated farming, Aquaponics, In pond raceways, Aquageoponics, Aquasilviculture, Aquamimicry.
 

Like other culture systems, aquaculture is also restrained by many constraints like cultural, environmental, health and disease, nutritional, waste management and domestication related issues. These issues are being addressed from time to time by various scientific and technological interventions. The various levels at which the technology was modified and enhanced may broadly include:


1.     Hatchery management and Brood stock management

2.     Types of advanced farming system likeaquaponics, biofloc, IMTA, organic aquaculture, race way culture, RAS


3.     Advancement in cage & pen culture

4.     Advances in monitoring the culture practices and quality of the product, BMPs, eco-labeling, bio-security


5.     Genetic level improvement

6.     Diet based regulation on aqua farming


Advanced technology for hatchery management

            The need of water in hatchery operation, which was profuse earlier, is now being fulfilled with the help of recirculatory system that includes mechanical as well as bio filtration. So that the water quality can be maintained and water requirement can be fulfilled. Nutritional and prophylactic measures are being employed to increase the growth and health of organisms like use of species-specific feeds and feeding methods, live, bioenriched feed for larvae, feed size specifications, nutritional immunostimulants, use of probiotic, prebiotics, herbal stimulants etc.


            Advances in quarantine measures have ensured the check and corrective action of a pathogenic spread. Brood management, genetic improvement of animalsand control of reproduction are core parts of an aquaculture business that allow a successful hatchery and improve efficiency and productivity of the entire aquaculture venture.


Less focus on genetic improvement and poor hatchery operations, in both developed and developing countries, has significantly downsized the performance of many species due to the phenomenon of inbreeding, genetic drift and uncontrolled gene pool mixing. This warrants a routine change of the stock to alleviate the problems of reduced brood and hatchery performance.For example, properlymonitored selective breeding operations have shown continual improvements in performance and quality. For instance,Atlantic salmon breeding companies have revealed more than 100 %enhancement in growth performance in nearly six generations, with significantimprovements in immunedefense and delays in the onset of sexual maturation.


Advances in aquaculture production systems

            Various aspects of production systems like water management, waste disposal, animal welfare, area utilization, seed production and other facility are being modified timely. Due to the efforts various modern and technologically advanced systems like RAS, biofloc, high intensity cage cultures, in pond raceways, aquapoics, aquamimicry, partitioned ponds and many more are being brought into the operations. Such system help in profit maximization using much reduced area than the conventional pond culture systems. Simultaneously the issues are water management is also addressed by making recirculatory systems using various mechanical and biological filters.


Following is the account related to a few advanced aquaculture production systems.


1.     AQUAPONICS

Aquaponics involves the integration of aquaculture and hydroponics in a recirculating aquaculture system, where plants grow without soil. 

The main components include:
a.      Water - Recirculated and topped up with rainwater harvesting.
b.     Wastes – fish wastes and nitrates are stabilized by plants, offcuts and worms are consumed by fish.
c.   Heat – heating gains in the day and heat losses at night and thus may require heat seals or thermostats.


These fish-plant systems are intended to raise large quantities of fish in relatively lesser volumes of water by treating the water and then reusing it. However, in the process of reusing the water, many nontoxic nutrients and organic matter can accumulate in the system and can lead to nutrient loading.


Aquaponics system

Aquaponics system

 

2.    BIOFLOC TECHNOLOGY

            This method is based on the maintenance of extreme levels of bacterial floc in water columnby providingconstant aeration and addition of carbohydrates, in orderto allow aerobic breakdown of the organic material present within. By adding sugars like molasses, rice bran, potato starch, etc, heterotrophic microbial growth is stimulated and production of microbial proteins occurs through nitrogen uptake and transformation. Biofloc is a conglomerate assemblage of microscopicunits such as phytoplankton, bacteria, and particulate organic matter, dead or alive. Biofloc technology aims at establishing a specific C/N ratio to convert toxic nitrogenous compounds into the useful microbial protein and simultaneously improve water quality under a zero water exchange system. (Ahmad, I., Rani, A.B., Verma, A.K. and Maqsood, M., 2017)


3. INTEGRATED MULTI-TROPHIC AQUACULTURE  (IMTA

            Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture is predominantly practiced under mariculture where it is usedto biologically mitigate ecological effects of mariculture in oceans. Its advantages are prompting increased attention and interest among researchers and farmers, especially in developed nations. It provides the byproducts or residuals or waste, from one aquatic system as inputs (in the form of fertilizers or food) for anotheraquatic system. IMTA conjoinsartificially fed aquaculture (e.g., fish, shrimp, crawfish, etc) with inorganic extractive (e.g., seaweed) and organic extractive (e.g., shellfish aquaculture) to create balanced systems for environment sustainability and development through biomitigation. It also leads to economic stability (improved output, lower cost, product diversification and risk reduction) and social acceptability (better management practices).

 

MULTITROPHIC AQUACULTURE

                        Fig: Process flow diagram (Clements et. al., 2016)


 

4.     RECIRCULATORY AQUACULTURE SYSTEM (RAS)

            A recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) is an approach for the removal of metabolic and otherwastes from the culture water without harming environmental integrity (Gutierrez-Wing and Malone 2006).The beneficial effect of this technology is that only 10% of the total water volume is needed to be replaced on a daily basis (Twarowska et al. 1997). The practice of RAS in developing nations is greatly limited due to the higher costs of the technology and requirement of technical expertise.

 

Recirculating aquaculture system (RAS)

                          Recirculating aquaculture system (RAS)

 

5.     ORGANIC AQUACULTURE

            Organic aquaculture is the sustainable management system that advocates and enhances endemic biodiversity, original biological cycles, and biological activity and emphasize on minimum use of off farm inputs, holistic management practice that regenerates, maintains and enhance species biodiversity along ecological integrity. It has gained popularity globally as a sustainable farming system, which maintains the long-term viability of the soil and uses less of the Earth’s limited resources to produce quality, nutritious and hazardless food. This raises animals without antibiotics growth promoters, chemicals, fertilizers, GMO products and production is achieved while preserving the ecosystem and biodiversity.

                    

6.     Integrated floating cage Aquageoponics system (IFCAS)

            Aquageoponics is a new version of traditional aquaponics where soil is used as a medium to grow plants within the cage surface instead of conventional media such as pebbles and sponges in aquaponic systems. This approach can extends the growing potential of rural areas where land is a major constraint. This farming technique uses water from culture media and uses it to grow crops while it purifies and stabilizes the water for fish in the cage or pond. In return the waste products generated by fish supply nutrients for the growing vegetables. This system finds its origin from Bangladesh (Haque et. al., 2015).


Integrated floating cage Aquageoponics system

Integrated floating cage Aquageoponics system (IFCAS)

 

AQUASILVICULTURE

            It is a management tool that connects and harmonizes fish production and mangrove restoration and development. This innovation has become a favorable earning opportunity to sustainably augment income and, at the same time maintain the mangrove ecosystems. This mainly originated from the indigenous knowledge and experience based sustainable skills.  Such systems are commonly used in Southeast Asia like Indonesia and Vietnam and in the early stages of development in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Malaysia.  The approach differsplace to place but mainly aims at the integration of mangrove ponds and impoundments for fish and crabs (Primavera,2000).


AQUAMIMICRY

            Aquamimicry is a concept that implies on simulating natural estuarine phenomenon by creating zooplankton community blooms (mainly copepods) as supplemental food to the cultured shrimp and flourishing beneficial bacteria to stabilize water quality. This is attained by fermentingcarbohydrates, such as rice or wheat bran, with probiotic microbes (like Bacillus sp.) and releasing their constituent nutrients. This method is in line with the technology of biofloc, but there are some main differences:

Firstly, the amount of added carbohydrate source is less and not strictly added based on ratios to nitrogen inputs. Secondly, rather than promoting and suspending high rates of bioflocs, solids are removed in more intensive systems to be reused by other farming systems/practices.

Potential problems related to aqamimicry may include difficulty of applying this concept to indoor conditions andthe use of relatively large treatment ponds.


PARTITIONED PONDS (PAS)

            PAS confines fish at high densities in concrete raceways that comprise about 5% of the total pond area. Wastes formedin fish ponds are distributedto a large, turbulentwater spreadarea with appropriate algal bloom density for the treatment.these large basins were originally designed for sewage treatment (Oswald, 1963). The concept originated from the Ictalurid fish culture in United States.

Broadly there are two variants of this system

In-Pond Raceway Systems (IPRS): In this system, the already existing pond is built with a group of raceways in it. The fish are cultured in the raceways while the rest pond water area acts as a waste stabilization lagoon for the culture waters.

Split-ponds: In this system, the large water body is divided into two by raising a suitable embankment in a levee form. The smaller section is used for holding fish and from there the water is pumped in the larger section and that acts as a waste stabilization lagoon with an optimum algal density maintained in it.

 

PARTITIONED PONDS (PAS)

PARTITIONED PONDS (PAS)


About Author 

M. Junaid Sidiq

Credit of Writing: Writing credit of this article goes to M. Junaid Sidiq, Ph.D scholar, Department of Aquaculture, Central institute of Fisheries Education –Mumbai (India) and Dr. M.A. Rather, Div. of Fish Genetics and Biotechnology, SKUAST-K


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