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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #252619
Title: Inshore recirculating systems for the production of marine finfish

Author
item Pfeiffer, Tim
item WILLS, PAUL - Florida Atlantic University

Submitted to: World Congress of the International Commission of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/12/2010
Publication Date: 6/12/2010
Citation: Pfeiffer, T.J., Wills, P. 2010. Inshore recirculating systems for the production of marine finfish. Proceedings of World Congress of the International Commission of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, June 13-17, 2010, Quebec City, Canada. p.358.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for both commercial and experimental uses have been developing for decades in many parts of the world. There are several driving forces behind the implementation of recirculating technology for aquaculture production systems. The availability of good and stable water resources is becoming more limited, more stringent environmental regulations to reduce water consumption and improve effluent water quality from aquaculture production systems, and the need to have greater control over the culture environment with increasing biomass production per unit volume of water are a few reasons. In addition, areas for coastal aquaculture are more limited and land costs are impractical for agriculture endeavors. However, the production of marine species, especially species with low salinity tolerance, has shown benefits in terms of growth and survival in land-based recirculating aquaculture tank systems and as a result a collaborative research effort between USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Aquaculture Division of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic Univeristy (HBOI/FAU) in developing inland sustainable recirculating marine aquaculture systems. As part of this effort a Sustainable Tank Aquaculture Recirculating Research (STARR) Facility was constructed at the Aquaculture Park on the HBOI/FAU campus. The facility is enclosed under two gutter connected Quonset style greenhouses that is 46.3 m in length and 22.9 m in width covered with 26 gauge, white galvanized steel panels and insulated with 1.9 cm thick R-max material. There are two different 4-tank RAS designs each replicated four times inside the facility, for a total of 32 culture tanks. Each 4-tank system includes solid and suspended wastes removal via rotating microscreen drum filtration and foam fractionation, biofiltration – static and moving bed, oxygenation, pumping, UV sterilization, PLC oxygen monitoring and control system, and automated feeders. The multi-tank, large experimental-scale, production systems allow for replicated studies of biological, engineering, and economic importance for the inland development of low salinity tolerant finfish species.