Marine Integrated Aquaculture

Kevin Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.Professor, University of Arizona

American Soybean Association

Past President – World Aquaculture Society

Karachi, Pakistan9 March, 2012

OverviewGlobal perspective on sustainable aquacultureProduction systemsPolyculture of fish, bivalves, seaweeds, and

crustaceansFuture trends

Several modelsFish and seaweed in cagesSeaweeds in shrimp pondFish in cages in shrimp farm supply

reservoirsFish and shrimp in crop rotationTilapia to treat/re-use shrimp effluent

Tilapia - shrimp polyculture

Philippines - Early adoption of polyculture

Severe disease outbreaks in shrimp industry in 1990’s

Major producer of tilapia Developed tilapia-shrimp polyculture

system on Negros Island Crop-rotation, tilapia in cages/hapas, and

tilapia in reservoir Have been operating for 10+ years

Tilapia-shrimp farm in Sonora, Mexico

Fish-shrimp production in Ecuador and Peru

Supplementing shrimp because of white spot and other shrimp diseases

Crop rotation, tilapia in supply reservoirs

Using shrimp infrastructureExporting tilapia to US and EU

Tilapia production in Ecuador and shrimp viral infections

TILAPIA PRODUCTION IN ECUADOR

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Year

Pro

du

ctio

n (

mt)

IHHN TauraWhite Spot

Tilapia production in outside ponds with shrimp in covered

ponds (Ecuador)

Tilapia-shrimp-halophytes Eritrea

Shrimp / tilapia ponds

Mangroves

Salicornia

Salicornia

Mangroves

Shrimp-fish systems

Tilapia cages in shrimp pond, Thailand

Tilapia hapa in shrimp pond, Thailand

Brackish water fish – seaweeds and bivalvesSnapper, seabass, grouper cage effluents (feed and feces) fertilize seaweed and feed filter feeding bivalves

Thailand experimental polyculture systems at AIT

Shrimp survival - 90% Shrimp yield - 3,000 kg/ha Tilapia survival - > 90% Tilapia yield - 1,500 kg/ha Tilapia growth - 10g to 300g in 10 weeks Shrimp survival and yield was lower in

monoculture control

Seaweed and Mud crabs

Gracilaria

Shrimp

Tilapia

Seaweed, milkfish and shrimp polyculture

Fresh Gracilaria from the tilapia-shrimp pond

Mechanisms

Mucus – supports gram positive bacteria Fish activity increases green algae bloom

while maintaining levels of other types of algae

Bio-manipulators of sediments- Oxidize wastes- Disturb life-cycle of pathogens and vectors

Marine Integrated Aquaculture Shrimp seaweeds, bivalves, cucumbers,

urchins Fish seaweeds, bivalves, tunicates Abalone seaweeds Mud crabs seaweeds, fish, shrimp

Grouper and Snappers → seaweeds, inverts Groupers and

snappers in cages release dissolved nutrients (N, P, K, Fe, CO2, etc.) and suspended solids (feed, feces, phytoplankton) to be consumed by seaweed, bivalves, and sea urchins

Floating feeds

Conclusions Improved production systems with more

sustainability. Protection of the environment More economic benefit for aquatic farmers.