Sustainable Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the fastest growing agro-industry globally in the US and half of all seafood consumed currently comes from aquaculture. Aquaculture must increase production three-fold in the next 20 years to fill the growing gap between the increasing demand and declining supply of fishery products. The Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology houses its very own Aquaculture Research Center (ARC) which provides unique capabilities for research on land-based, fully contained aquaculture systems, focusing on improvement of biological waste treatment/conversion technologies and aquaculture system engineering.

Alternative Feeds

Most aquaculture systems rely on traditional fish feed of ground fishmeal to support stock populations. However, as these fishmeals are harvested from wild-caught fish like anchovies and herring, this resource-intensive methodology has led to overfished populations and sometimes even ecosystem collapse. In general, this means that industrial feed is not sustainable at a commercial scale in the long term. Some alternative feed ingredients that include soy and corn-based feeds have also been criticized for being unsustainable as these feeds are often associated with deforestation and water pollution. Moreover, these feeds are not always digestable for fish.

The Place lab has been exploring the effectiveness of insect feeds as sustainable alternatives that still contain all the nutrients required by stock populations. Specifically, we have been feeding dried mealworms and black soldier fly larvae to our Atlantic salmon and assessing their growth and physiology compared to traditional fishmeal-fed fish.

Dried mealworms

Black soldier fly larvae

Aquaculture Microbiology

Our lab is interested in categorizing microbial communities in recirculating aquaculture systems to control the development of microbial infections and minimize off-flavor during high-density production. We are also assessing microbiomes of various tissues of Atlantic salmon in the system to monitor the growth, development, and overall health of experimental specimen.

We have also implemented microbiology techniques to enhance aquaculture feeds. In a series of studies, we tested the use of heterotrophically grown microalgae and its extracted oil as sources of nutrients and essential fatty acids for rotifers and Artemia, which were then used in fish larvae as well as in formulated broodstock diets. These sources can be particularly rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ArA), which are required for larval growth and survival as well as contributing to egg and sperm quality when included in broodstock diets.

Aragonite in Recirculating Aquaculture

Control of alkalinity, dissolved carbon dioxide, and pH are critical in marine recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) in order to maintain health and maximize growth. Previous studies have found that aragonite has the potential to simplify alkalinity and pH control, and aid in dCO2 control in RAS design and operation. Additionally, aragonite sand, purchased in bulk, is less expensive than sodium bicarbonate and could reduce overall operating production costs.

The Place lab is currently assessing oolitic aragonite sand ability to alter aquaculture water quality, remove phosphorus, and be a potential aid in oyster growth in recirculating aquaculture systems. We are also exploring whether the sand can be recharged to increase longevity of aragonite in aquaculture systems.

Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS)

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