Dedicated To Tribal Aquaculture Programs
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December 2003 ~ Volume 46 | ||
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Topics Of Interest:
UWS AQUACULTURE FACILITY UPDATE
By: Greg Fischer, gfischer@uwsuper.edu
The Aquaculture Demonstration Facility is dedicated
to teaching people how to effectively raise,
process and market freshwater fish for human consumption
The University of Wisconsin System, University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS), the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Wisconsin Aquaculture Association and other partners are working together to build and operate the Aquaculture Demonstration Facility. The Facility is located adjacent to the Red Cliff Band's fish hatchery near Bayfield Wisconsin. The $3 million facility is funded entirely by gaming revenue.
Mission Statement: The mission of the Northern Wisconsin Aquaculture Demonstration Facility is to promote and advance the development of commercial aquaculture in a northern climate. To realize this mission, the Facility will be a site where: production-scale demonstration of, and hands-on training in, modern aquaculture techniques will be offered; applied research projects on promising technologies and techniques in commercial aquaculture will be conducted; and, reference materials on all aspects of the science and business of aquaculture can be accessed. The staff of the Facility will work with representatives of the aquaculture industry and scientific community, as well as individuals from regulatory and other natural resource communities to define industry needs, conduct training, and coordinate research to disseminate current information on commercial aquaculture to the general public. Through these activities the staff of the Facility will identify the equipment, species and rearing techniques that can be used for profitable, sustainable and environmentally sensitive commercial aquaculture in northern climates.
History: There are over 1,700 registered “fish farmers” in Wisconsin. Aquaculture is defined as a form of Agriculture and many of the same parameters apply. In this sense, Aquaculture fits well with the Wisconsin agricultural landscape as an environmental “green” business. Over $17 million dollars a year are spent related to Aquaculture. There are 200 – 400 attendees at the Annual Wisconsin Aquaculture Conference looking for ways to diversify their operations into aquaculture or fisheries related fields.
The Aquaculture Facility Project was originally proposed by former Ashland mayor Lowell Miller in 1993 at Superior Days. Funding for the facility has come mainly from Tribal Gaming Revenues to the State. The project has had committee involvement from a variety of private, federal, tribal, and state agencies over the years. The project has received strong support from a variety of state senators, representatives and federal congressmen. Design/Construction plans were completed and approved in 2003.
Facility Components: The Facility will include an 8,600 sq. ft modern Hatchery Production Building which will have the ability to raise coldwater, coolwater, and warmwater strains of various fish species from eggs to adults. Included in this component is hatchery manager office, wet lab, technical room, four 1 acre outside rearing ponds, several outside concrete fish raceways, feed storage/water degassing shed, pump shed, and effluent settling ponds. The facility will also provide a 7,500 sq.ft. Administration Building with offices, classrooms, resource center, meeting room and other related support areas.
Site clearing is now completed for the new aquaculture demonstration facility |
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What services will the Facility provide:
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General Assistance for fish farmers from the application of permits through the processing of your fish.
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Training in old and new fish culture techniques.
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Addressing “real life” problems for production based fish aquaculture and related items.
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New species/strain development for different markets.
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Exploration of “niche” markets and hydroponic systems.
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Processing and Marketing assistance.
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Workshops/Training sessions on environmentally friendly aquaculture techniques.
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Educational Cooperatives/Internships with local teaching facilities for all ages.
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Partnerships/Collaboration with tribal, private, state and federal agencies.
Status of the Project: The Project will be bid out in three phases. Phase I consists of site work/external piping; Phase II consists of Hatchery Building and related equipment; Phase III consists of Administrative Building and related equipment. Site construction can start as soon as contracts are signed by the Governors office. Phase II will be bid out in Jan.-Feb. 2004. Phase III will be bid out as time and funding allows.
Contact: For more information contact Gregory J. Fischer, Facilities Director at 715-373-1047 or email gfischer@uwsuper.edu, UWS.
3 ½ Hatchery Tips
By style="text-decoration: none"> Aquatic Eco-Systems
1) Pure Oxygen or Aeration
Aerators that spray water through the air or put bubbles in the water can typically compete with the economics of pure oxygen up to about 70 percent of saturation. Pure oxygen becomes more economical when raising oxygen to levels above 70 percent.
Pure oxygen can be a very cost-effective tool for raising fish. It can unclutter the culture tank, reduce suspended solids, improve feed-conversion ratios and reduce stress. When used in large intensive culture systems, liquid oxygen can be purchased at a low price. It's especially cost-effective when used to raise the ambient dissolved oxygen a few parts per million to or above the saturation level.
But a high-tech approach is not necessary if a low-tech one will do. Simple old-fashioned aeration (done correctly) will provide one pound of dissolved oxygen (at 75 percent of saturation) for about one kilowatt of energy. That's about 8 cents per pound. Can you buy pure oxygen that cheap? If you can buy it that cheap, will 100 percent of it be absorbed, or will you lose some through escaping bubbles, leaks, etc.? Is a water pump or other energy source required? A one horsepower water pump by itself can burn another 8 cents per hour. However, if your operation is large enough or intensive enough to warrant aerating with pure oxygen, it can be a great tool when used wisely.
Here are a few tips:
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Be sure to total all pure oxygen costs when figuring cost effectiveness, including storage vessel rent, water pumping cost and oxygen loss. If you're thinking about making your own oxygen, include the actual cost of compressed air, back-up compressor and increased generator size, plus repairs.
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Use a saturation technique that is at least 80 percent efficient.
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Inject supersaturated water over a wide area to prevent large oxygen gradients in the fish tank.
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In a recirculating system, you will need to "aerate" (de-gas), in addition to oxygenation, to remove carbon dioxide.
2) System Flow Rate
When people say that they exchange 100 percent of the water in a tank every hour, they typically are not doing that at all. If a tank holds 120 gallons, they are probably pumping 2 gpm into the tank. Their math is correct, but their English is not. To "exchange" all of the water suggests that none of the original water is still there after one hour. That would only be true if all the water was drained (dry) then refilled; otherwise, it is constantly being mixed and only about 60 percent is being exchanged with each equal volume of water.
3) Oxygen for minnows > Use Hydrogen-peroxide
Courtesy of Southtowns Walleye Association
Laboratory tests conducted by fish culturists in recent years have demonstrated that common household hydrogen peroxide can be used safely to provide oxygen for small fish. Hydrogen peroxide releases oxygen by decomposition when it is added to water.
In one test, 25 fry (2 cm long) were put into each of two one-quart bottles of water. Then, during a three-day period, 12 drops of hydrogen peroxide were added to one bottle, and none to the other. The result: 100% of the treated fry survived and 100% of the untreated fry perished. In another test, 50 fry were kept in a one-quart bottle and two drops of hydrogen peroxide were added to the water every four hours. In three days, 86% of the fry were still alive and well. Researchers tested this idea in the hopes of using it to provide small hatchery fish with oxygen during transportation periods. Anglers who use live minnows for bait might also want to experiment with the idea. To be safe, start off by adding only very small amounts of hydrogen peroxide to a minnow bucket. And remember that it takes about 600 drops of the size used by the researchers to make one fluid ounce. Also, keep in mind that water temperature is very important to minnow survival.
3½) Lets Keep Those Fish "in" The Tank
The MTAN was recently visiting the Hagerman National Fish Hatchery (southern Idaho) and noticed another way of keeping fish from jumping out of your tanks. The material is composed of plastic screening and pvc pipe.
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Product and company names mentioned in this publication are for informational purposes only. It does not imply endorsement by the MTAN or the U.S. Government. |
