Agriculture and Agribusiness

Aquaculture and Fish Farming Operations

Fish live in the medium that carries their waste, so water quality is not a condition of production, it is the production system, and most losses on a fish farm are water quality events that happened overnight. This course starts with the water. Delegates work through dissolved oxygen, the daily cycle driven by algae and the early morning minimum that kills stock. Ammonia, nitrite and pH are covered with their interactions and the aeration and exchange that control them. Site and system selection follow across ponds, tanks, raceways and cages, with the water supply each demands. Species selection is addressed, principally tilapia and catfish, with the temperature and market fit of each. Stocking density, grading and the growth monitoring that supports feeding are covered. Feeding is addressed as the largest cost, including feed conversion, ration and the overfeeding that pollutes the pond. Fingerling supply and hatchery basics follow. Health and biosecurity are covered. The course closes on harvest, handling and cost per kilogram produced.