Aquaculture Foundations

Learn Freshwater Fish Farming

• Small or large scale
• A Foundation for Home or Commercial Aquaculture

Aquaculture mostly involves growing fish in water, to harvest, either for commercial or personal purposes. It can involve growing other things as well though, including crustaceans (e.g. prawns, crayfish), shellfish, or seaweed. 

Lesson Structure

There are 5 lessons in this course:

1. LESSON 1 SCOPE AND NATURE OF AQUACULTURE
   • Farmed vs wild fish
   • Commercial aquaculture systems
   • Review what you have been learning
2. LESSON 2 METHODS OF FARMING
   • Extensive production (EP)
   • Intensive production (IP)
   • Land-based systems - water containment
   • Review what you have been learning
3. LESSON 3 FISH SPECIES TO GROW
   • Choosing what to farm
   • Trout
   • Catfish
   • Perch
   • Bream
   • Bass
   • Carp
   • Milkfish
   • Murray Cod
   • Snakeheads
   • Roach
   • Saratoga
   • Sturgeon (Acipenser and Huso)
   • Tilapia
   • Red Drum
   • Other species
   • Review what you have been learning
4. LESSON 4 FEED
   • Fish food production
   • Compost
   • Other feed organisms
   • Lesson 4 additional reading
   • Review what you have been learning
5. LESSON 5 PATHOLOGY
   • Fish health
   • Fish diseases
   • Review what you have been learning
   • Harvesting techniques
   • Review what you have been learning
   • Final assessment

FARMED VS WILD FISH

Almost 50% of the world’s seafood supply comes from aquaculture. This is likely to increase as the global fish demand expands. Well-managed fish farms are essential for a healthy end product that will be used for human consumption. This strategy will depend on the amount, type and quality of fish food, antibiotics, preservatives, hormones and other additives that are generally included during their production. It is important to focus on production methods that minimise health risks in both the human and animal population, as well as the environment.

Contaminants can be found in both farmed and wild caught fish, and this can vary greatly upon geographical area, age and diet of the fish and, of course, the species. The pollutants of most concern include heavy metal bioaccumulation (i.e. methylmercury), radiation contamination (i.e. Fukushima nuclear disaster), agricultural pesticides, production drugs and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs) contaminating the land and the ocean. Methylmercury and POPs, on the other hand, may come from the atmosphere (and into the ocean) due to fossil fuel combustion.

Farmed fish accumulates toxin mainly from their diet via the intake of fish meal and oil sourced from wild pelagic fish. Apex predators like sharks, tuna and swordfish, are most likely to contain high levels of mercury and other heavy metals if caught in the wild. According to this point of view, farmed fish may be a safer option for human consumption, but only if their source of food comes from areas with lower levels of toxic pollutants. There are, however, alternative methods that can be used to reduce contaminants in farmed fish, such as the use of activated carbon filters, or simply by reducing the amount of fish meal and oils used in feeding.

Aside from the quality and origin of fish feed used in aquaculture, another concern arises as to whether consuming farmed fish is better than consuming wild caught fish. Farmed fish requires a constant dose of chemicals to treat and prevent fish from harmful diseases. These chemicals include antibiotics, probiotics, pesticides, algaecides, insecticides, herbicides and disinfectants, amongst others. Chemicals like these, if not managed properly, can concentrate in the sediments and end up affecting both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, as well as the human population when they consume farmed fish contaminated from the oversupply of these chemicals.

A well-managed aquaculture farm will know the importance of using practices that maintain fish health through appropriate water quality but also protect the environment from the harmful effects of chemical residue and leachate by managing effluent discharges. There are many options available to attain and maintain a healthier aquaculture farm system, reducing the amount of chemicals (or using more natural alternative products) needed to support fish health and prevention of diseases is one such management practice. It is the degree of value given to researching these options and implementing them that will make a difference.

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