What are some environmental requirements for an aquaculture system?
Image by Bytemarks
November’s Bytemarks Lunch visit to the McKinley aquaculture fish farm.
Question by Michelle: What are some environmental requirements for an aquaculture system?
What’s necesscary for a productive natural aquaculture system?
and what does water quality and waste water disposal have to do with it?
Add your own answer in the comments!
One Response to What are some environmental requirements for an aquaculture system?
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I’m trying to figure out the first one myself, but as for the second two . . .
Water quality in fish ponds is affected by the interactions of a few chemical components. Carbon dioxide, pH, alkalinity and hardness have a lot to do with each other and can have profound effects on pond productivity, the level of stress and fish health, the availability of oxygen, and the toxicity of ammonia as well as that of certain metals. Most parts of water quality are not constant. Carbon dioxide and pH concentrations fluctuate or cycle daily. Alkalinity and hardness are relatively stable but can change over time, usually weeks to months, depending on the pH or mineral content of watershed and bottom soils. While some aquaculture facilities use holding structures in natural, open water bodies and rely on natural water circulation for replenishing water, many facilities use closed systems (ex., tanks or ponds) and accumulate wastewater and sludge that has to be removed. At dozens of like facilities in Hawaii and other states, this wastewater and sludge is disposed by underground injection. All injected aquaculture wastewater has fecal and other excretory wastes and uneaten aquaculture food. The main chemical and physical constituents of these wastewaters are therefore nitrogen- and phosphorus-based nutrients and suspended and dissolved solids. The injection zone for aquaculture wastewater must be of relatively high porosity, as aquaculture wastewaters typically have significant suspended solids content. Seawater-based aquaculture operations in Hawaii inject wastewater into brackish or saline aquifers that flow seaward. Aquaculture wells usually are not vulnerable to spills or illicit discharges. Most are kept in private facilities and are not accessible to the public for unsupervised waste disposal.
As for exactly how these relate to a productive natural aquaculture system, it is only natural that you would need good water for the fish to live in, else they would die, and your project would be ruined. The water disposal is necessary because, if you don’t get rid of the sludge and other distasteful things lying in your water, the fish will die. And again, your project would be ruined.
Shidei
June 1, 2011 at 6:43 pm