Intro/history of Aquaculture

1. Intro/history of Aquaculture • Aquaculture • The art and science of rearing aquatic organisms (finfish, shellfish, aquatic reptiles, amphibians, and plants) under controlled conditions. • History of Aquaculture • First practiced by the Chinese 3,500 to 4,000 years ago • Oysters were farmed in Japan about 3,000 years ago and by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago

2. Intro/history of Aquaculture • United States/North America •  1850s - first attempt at artificial propagation (Dr. Theodatus Garlick) • - Brook trout • Spring fed ponds (Cleveland, Ohio) • 1864 – • 1866 - First public hatchery was built in New York • Atlantic Salmon fry produced for enhancement efforts on the Merrimac River • High profits -

3. Intro/history of Aquaculture • 1870 - Formation of the “American Fish Cultural Society” • Began to apply the scientific method to aquaculture production • 19th century –

4. Purpose of Aquaculture • Commercial (foodfish) production • Followed AFS development and used techniques and methods established through government and academic research • Foodfish production worldwide

5. Purpose of Aquaculture • Important culture species (3 phyla represented) • Mollusca • Arthropoda (crustaceans) • Chordata

6. Aquaculture • Mollusca • Scallops • Abalone

7. Aquaculture • Important culture species • Arthropoda (crustaceans) • Lobster

8. Aquaculture • Important culture species • Chordata • Channel catfish • Atlantic salmon • Tilapia • Carp

9. Aquaculture • Aquaculture (fish and shellfish) • Global production has doubled in past 15 years • > 220 species of finfish and shellfish are farmed • US (commercial finfish): • Production estimates (1991): 543,770 tons valued at approximately $750,250,000

10. Aquaculture • Catfish - Dominant species cultured in United States • In late 1950s the methodology for catfish culture in the US was developed • At that time, it was demonstrated that a profit could be made if producers received $1.10/kg • Today:

11. Aquaculture • Rainbow trout • Important species in the US, Northern Europe, Chile, etc. • Freshwater • Also raised in other regions for food and sport. • Australia (Tasmania) • New Zealand

12. Aquaculture • Rainbow trout • Idaho is one of the major trout producing region in US/world. • Constant temperature (15oC) spring water year-round • 1980-3,400 tons/yr. 1990s > 10,000 tons/yr.

13. Aquaculture • Atlantic Salmon • Industry has rapidly expanded in last decade • High tech • Net pen culture (primarily foodfish)

14. Aquaculture • Other commercial species • Ornamental species • Florida – raise > 100 species • >$100 million/yr (1998) • Value –

15. Aquaculture • Carp and Tilapia • Important species in Middle East, China, Japan, etc. • Grass Carp (in US) • Aquatic vegetation control • Tilapia • Often used as protein supplement for third world regions

16. Purpose of Aquaculture • Commercial Fisheries • Goal – increase or sustain commercially important species (other than salmon) • Concept • Being re-considered • Offspring – increased survival • Species • Flounder • Cod • Haddock • Rockfish

17. Purpose of Aquaculture • Recreational Fisheries • Goal – Stocking for angling public • Put and take • Stock catchable size fish that are available immediately • Chase hatchery trucks • Recreation for the “non” purists • Provides some states alternative experience • Seasons that provide proper environmental conditions • Spring – trout in some states (trout stamp)

18. Purpose of Aquaculture • Recreational Fisheries • Put-Grow-and take • Stock at small size (fingerlings) allow to grow to large size • Close harvest of small fish (size restrictions) • Ex: • Stock fingerling Northern pike in Midwest • Coho Salmon and SH in Great Lakes (1980s) • Both approaches provide angling opportunities in waters that may not support sustainable populations

19. Purpose of Aquaculture • Augmentation • Used in waters that can support sustainable populations but where fishing pressure results in unbalanced populations • Ex: • Largemouth bass • Fishing lowers bass pop. even though forage base is good

20. Purpose of Aquaculture • Mitigation/supplementation • Human activities – destruction or alteration of fish habitat • Ex: • Loss of upstream access by anadromous fishes • Decreased access to spawning habitat • Change from riverine to reservoir habitat • Increased turbidity (Ag and industry runoff)

21. Purpose of Aquaculture • Mitigation/supplementation • 1938 – Congress passed legislation that mandated for losses of renewable aquatic resources due to reduction of upstream access for migratory salmonids • Results – • “In-kind” mitigation • Impacted species – re-stocked • May also occur if human activities take water body out of production – filling lake for construction

22. Purpose of Aquaculture • Pacific Salmon (Coho, Chinook, Chum, Pink, Sockeye) • Primarily reared and released for mitigation purposes • Pacific Northwest, Canada (BC), Alaska • Great Lakes (1967) – recreational fisheries

23. Purpose of Aquaculture • Species Recovery (ESA) • Habitat • Hydro • Hatcheries • One action taken to enhance recovery • Genetic diversity – important • Ex: • Sockeye Salmon – 1990s to present (Redfish Lake) • Lonely Larry • Cryopreserved semen for next season • Offspring survival important

24. Purpose of Aquaculture • Population assessment • Cultured fish can be marked and used to assess populations in wild • Recapture of tagged/untagged fish used to estimate populations • Examples of marking methods: • External tags • Fin clips • Branding

25. Purpose of Aquaculture • Research • Many Scientists are increasingly using fish as laboratory animals • Fish may be good models • Fast regeneration times • Ex: • Japanese medaka • Zebrafish • KIllifish, • Goldfish