Aquaculture (Floyd)

Question 1

Aquaculture

Answer 1

• controlled rearing of aquatic organisms
• fastest growing animal industry in global market
• direct competition with wild harvests

Question 2

Issues for veterinarians

Answer 2

• disease dx/ control
• ‘legal’ drugs
• health certification
• food safety
• reportable diseases
  
  • OIE: a bunch for aquatic diseases

Question 3

Global aquaculture commodities

Answer 3

• 32% global consumption from aquaculture
  
  • China: 89% global production
  • Asia (excluding China): 22%
  • Latin America: 2.2%
  • N.A.: 1%

*numbers don’t add up, know most is from China

Question 4

Florida Aquaculture

TQ

Answer 4

• Tropical Fish: $ 33 million
• Aquatic Plants: $ 17 million
• Clams: $ 11 million
• Alligators: $ 4 million
• Catfish: $ 1.4 million
• Other food fish: $ 1.7 million

Question 5

Extensive farming

Answer 5

• they are free
• fisherie as opposed to a farm
  
  • low stocking rate
  • low feeding rate
  • less time consuming
  • less expense

Question 6

Intensive farming

Answer 6

• management is more like a traditional farm
  
  • crowding
  • water quality issues
  • nutrition
  • infectious disease
  • water quality management/aeration required

Question 7

advantages of extensive production

Answer 7

• little investiment
• fish can be trapped
• natural food available
• used as source of protein from community managed ponds
• talapia
• multi-tiered
  
  • ​pigs/chickens housed over pond => algae blood => feeds fish

Question 8

example of extensive production

livebearer production in Florida

Answer 8

• produce live young, no eggs
  
  • guppies, swordtails, mollies, platies
• Traditional production
  
  • stock broodfish into fertilized pond
  • low quality (cost) feed in small amounts
  • place baited traps
    
    • harvest fish of sufficient size that go into trap
  • no control of genetics or number harvested

Question 9

Intensive production

advantages

Answer 9

• indoors-more control
• elimination of predation
• massive inc in production
  
  • only option for modern commercial operation

Question 10

Intensive production

Disadvantages

Answer 10

• inc risk of disease and disease transmission
  
  • biosecurity is critical
• system failure can lead to catastrophic loss
  
  • possibly minutes
• high start-up and operating costs
• complete diet required

Question 11

Example of Intensive production

egg layer

Answer 11

• initial rearing in hatcheries
  
  • species dependent methods
• grow out in ponds or tanks
  
  • ponds: aeration and quality feeds
  • inc use of re-circulating systems
  • biosecurity is critical

Question 12

Example of intensive fish farming in FL

Answer 12

• angelfish
• slate to hatching jar to pond to vat

Question 13

Types of production systems in US

Answer 13

• Earthen ponds
  
  • channel catfish
  • hybrid striped bass
  • shrimp
• Raceways
  
  • Rainbow trout
• Cages or net pens
  
  • Salmon
• Re-circulating tank systems
  
  • Tilapia
• Underwater lease
  
  • clams from cedar key!

Question 14

Pond production

Advantages

Answer 14

• free or cheap water
  
  • no need to pump/circulate
• filtration system not required
• some natural food available

Question 15

Pond production

Disadvantages

Answer 15

• minimal control of environment
  
  • very imp in large production ponds
• predation can exceed 70%
• difficult to maintain inventory
• ‘off flavor’ hard to control
  
  • algal blooms
  • fish can’t be marketed for consumption
  • quality control issue, not food safety

Question 16

Earthen ponds

Answer 16

• intensity of management determined by stocking rates
• dissolved oxygen often limiting
• minimal control of rearing conditions
• most common method used for production aquaculture in U.S.

Question 17

Raceway production systems

advantages

Answer 17

• often free water from river, other
• use high flows instead of filtration systems
• inexpensive

Question 18

Raceway production systems

disadvantages

Answer 18

• poor control water source
• introduce disease and contamination if using surface water
• concerns with effluent
  
  • contamination
  • dissemination of dz to surface waters
• crowding facilitates rapid spread of disease
• treatments can be difficult b/c of large volumes of water used

Question 19

Cage culture

Advantages

Answer 19

• tidal flush - free water exchange
• risk of contamination or disease intro
• easy to harvest

Question 20

Cage culture

disadvantages

Answer 20

• controversial in population areas (Puget sound)
  
  • aesthetic concerns
  • environmental concerns
• exposure to wild fish - dz potential
• potential for local contamination
• susceptible to storm damage
• predation
• concenr for local environment
• very crowded
  
  • potential for dz spread
• difficult to treat

Question 21

Recirculating systems

advantages

Answer 21

• complete control of environment
• no predation
• very efficient grow out for suitable species
  
  • diet
  • toleration
• Treatment easier and less expensive

Question 22

Re-circulating systems

disadvantages

Answer 22

• very high capital investment
• high risk
  
  • power failure - catastrophic loss
• intensive management requirements
• expensiive to operate and maintain
  
  • protect life support systems
• biosecurity is critical

Question 23

Production strategy

All-in-all-out

Answer 23

• system drained at end of production cycle
  
  • all fish removed
• disinfection and removal of sediment and muck
• In florida may get 2-3 crops per pond per year
  
  • ornamental species

Question 24

Production strategies

Continuous

Answer 24

• System rarely drained
  
  • once in 10-15 years
• following harvet - top off with aprox number fingerlings to replace
• Industry standard for catfish

Question 25

Continuous harvets

advantages

Answer 25

• no down time to dry out pond
• replace # harvested animals with equal # fingerlings
• practical for very large ponds

Question 26

Continuous harvest

disadvantage

Answer 26

• lose track of inventory
• pond banks erode
• massive accumulation organic matter
• maintenance is major
• major dz control can be difficult

Question 27

All in all out harvest

advantages

Answer 27

• Better control of inventory
• avoid build up of organic material
• can produce multiple crops in same pond
• better for biosecurity

Question 28

All in all out harvest

disadvantage

Answer 28

• labor intensive
• more effluent from pond

Question 29

Channel Catfish

Answer 29

• most imp aquaculture industry in US
• ranked 10th globally
• production centered in mississippi valley
• market size 1-1.5 lbs takes 18 months

Question 30

Tilapia

Answer 30

• real chicken of the sea
• hardy
  
  • tiered system with pigs or chickens
• single sex populations
• thermolimited 50 degrees

Question 31

Carp (Koi)

Answer 31

• Carp: # 1 aquatic food animal in China
  
  • nuisance in US waters - invasive
• Koi: specially bred for color
  
  • excellent candidate for vet care

Question 32

European style Koi shows

Answer 32

• good kind
• tubs next to each other

Question 33

Japanese style koi show

Answer 33

• Bad kind (biohazard)
• fish placed in same tub for judging
  
  • disease risk

Question 34

Carp Koi diseases

Answer 34

• spring viremia of carp - foreign animal dz (big deal)
  
  • cool water dz (50 deg)
  • depopulation required
• koi herpes - endemic but reportable
  
  • warm water dz
  • gill disease