02/02/2018: Part two: Getting radical with aquacultural technology

by Cliff Spencer, Chairman AwF

To further assure the public over environmental safeguards in aquaculture production, and to give massive reductions in water use then with these Recirculating Aquacultural Systems and Biofloc Technology based fish farms

 

It is technically feasible to employ a slow-sand filter for final wastewater discharge, particularly if these farms still generate reduced waste streams. In the event of fish “spillage” into rainwater runoff channels/ditches there would be the discharge of all rain water runoff collected from the catchment of a particular RAS or BFT farm to exit via a slow sand filter.

Like everyday use on modern pig and poultry farms enhanced biosecurity measures includes the use of foot dips, suitable perimeter fences, restricted access conditions, good security procedures and the use of regulated and supervised visitor access. The farm is a declared biosecurity zone, where livestock would not be allowed to leave the farm site expect under regulated procedures overseen by the regulating authority.

Professionally engineered and managed bio secure fish farming operations, can exist in ecologically sensitive areas without impacting the environment or threatening biodiversity. We can now safely farm any fish species in any geographical locality of the world without posing a risk to neither the environment nor the biodiversity make-up of ecosystems.

As often is the case the holdback in the fish-farming sector (in what is permissible) falls at the door of policy makers and regulatory authorities. These bodies continue to ignore innovations that leading industry practitioners can provide and which can positively change lives. The innovations such as those described should be incorporated as a priority - into sound polices to urgently accomplish enhanced food safety with accompanying biosecurity and food security. All this can be achieved without impacting our environment or compromising biodiversity for future generations.

Finally, it is a little known fact that nearly 20 years ago Tilapia went into space with Senator John Glenn on the Space Shuttle and the Tilapia eggs on board hatched into tiny fry whilst still in space. The Aquaculture in Micro gravitational orbit (AMIGO) project was born and after the Space Shuttle’s return to earth AMIGO was studied to record any effects on the fish. So Tilapia was studied all that time ago to see if it represented an appropriate use for aquaculture in space programmes to keep our treasured astronauts well fed in extended space flights and Tilapia is recommended as an ideal food source for astronauts.

Read the full article, HERE.

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