[Ahmabeliever]

Aquaculture as it stands is deplorable to many of green persuasion and staunchly defended by it's practitioners.

Major problems, as seen by the green side of the fence, are pollution, and the source of protein in feeds - fishing the oceans.

I quite agree with these views. Pollution is, well, pollutive... and killing fish who play a role in an oceans eco system, to raise fish in a farm polluting that or another ocean or waterway, it just doesn't make sense to me. But it does make dollars.

Those who understand that dollars add up to more than sense by 100 need to approach industry solutions with this in mind.

New systems of intensive Aquaculture and food production need to out produce 'dirtier' aquaculture practises, which will bring about change through the forces of supply and demand.

So, instead of rallying against it, green industry could learn to compete.

It's not as if the consumer demand isn't high enough!

An article in NZ Herald yesterday spoke of vegetable prices becoming premium and look set to continue rising as space becomes utilised for higher value crops. This as a global problem, not localised.

There is demand for fish, vegetables, fish feed, pollution reduction, there is a premium for doing this organically, and good will with public opinion and possible tax benefits by doing it cleanly.

You need human wastes flies and germs

To be continued...

[freeztar]

Check out this article on a company in Hawaii that is doing open-sea pens to farm fish.
The wonder fish - Apr. 21, 2008

Here's the companies website:
Kona Blue

[Ahmabeliever]

Kona Blue is a good step in the right direction, a company willing to learn. Nice to see those farms in use I read about that or a similar design years ago.

On the pollution thing, it's not pollution if the biology in the water utilise it for growing plants and plankton molluscs etc, it's part of the food chain. At what depth the farm is in and the tidal flow distributing it...

Could possibly grow harvestable 'wild' kelp and mollusc beds too. This could even be used to encourage local species once the numbers were understood. An organic addition to encourage speciation instead of deplete it.

Shoreline aquaculture operations over-fertilise their environment thus it becomes pollutive rather than a valuable input. It's numbers. The practise is not really fixable from what I know of intensive culture in such farms. Trying to grow other crops off the excess nutrients would certainly help.

[Ahmabeliever]

Feeding fish using human wastes is as easy as luring flies to shit.

Or vege scraps, if you prefer...

The Black Soldier Fly.

Not all flies are created equal. So before you shun this humble fly, read the following...

even though this creature may have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, it is not associated in any way with the transmission of disease

Here's a link.

Bioconversion of Food Waste: Black Soldier Fly

In the link we find that 100 kg's of waste - that people will pay you to take away - will produce 8.8 kilos of 42% dry protein prepupae matter.

The Black Soldier Fly has many unique characteristics making it a prime candidate for domestication.

A Black Soldier Fly...

• when in fly form, has no mouth
• is not a pest to humans
• leaves worms and regular composting for dead
• reduces wastes not deemed suited to vermiculture
• produces high protein feed
• produces viable soil ameliorant
• is self cleaning
• is self harvesting
• can be maintained year round in many climates

And the list could go on. There are a few resources and resourceful companies out there working with Black Soldier Fly now. The potential has not begun to be scratched.

I do want to see the figures of gases produced which are not included in bioconversion chart in the link. I think in reducing waste within 24 hours the soldier fly reduce a lot of potential composting gases but how much gases do the larvae produce. Also what content of nutrient is in the water that comes out.

[Ahmabeliever]

To recap a little.

Catching fish to feed fish is counter productive. A protein source is needed.

Black Soldier Fly provide very high quality protein. They clean and harvest themselves. A smart business could get paid to take away 'waste' and convert it to BSF protein.

Continuing...

The protein content and nutritional breakdown of BSF larvae will compete with any leading brand of feed in the market.

42% protein is high. High protein (in suitable feed) produces high fish yields. High yield equals high profit...

Further to this, which we'll get into details later, the higher protein fish wastes are a more potent fertiliser than lower protein wastes.

When spring arrives I'll be setting up a small BSF composting operation so you can follow the journey, hoping to take some wastes off a couple of stores only hundreds of metres away. Perhaps I'll blog it.

BSF could easily be a stand alone business. Get paid to remove wastes and sell small amounts at high prices to fishing and aquarium stores, local e-trade, and when you have bulk find a local fish farmer to buy the excess. Use the 5% friable waste that is left over for vermiculture and worm castings can be another product to sell.

In getting out and talking to people about a supply of larvae, worms and casts, the response is positive from both private and business. I barely have to leave my block. This is in Auckland, New Zealand.

I will be selling some of my BSF larvae, but a lot of them will be fed to eels.

Due to highly restrictive laws here regarding species eels are my option. However, when raised and flushed correctly, they're really good.

Cultured eels contain very high amounts of oils. Without the presense of fishmeal I can avoid mercury contamination of a high omega oils product. Market will be immense. But I'm just in the canoe here, tis my wee flagship.

Problem! A supply of young eels is not a given. As wild stocks are depleted less young return to our country each year. The adult swims to Tonga, and breeds in the trench there, then dies. The spawn make their way back.

Solution. A local biologist successfully bred eels in captivity and has taught others around the world how he did this. Still problems with getting them through their infancy but progress continues.

Aquaculture solution. A govt body controls reserve waterways and land (already established in many places, reserves) and they release cultured broodstock. Culture operations keep back a percentage of adult stock for this purpose. This should help avoid inbreeding.

There are many fish that can be cultured. If I was in the States I'd be looking at Tilapia. A rapidly growing omnivorous table fish, high in oils, breed easily, eat almost anything.

We'll look at what I do with fish poo next. Or fertiliser, as I see it.

We've already created several income streams.

Cash for removing 'rubbish'
Larvae
Worm Castings
Fish.

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by Ahmabeliever

To recap a little.

Catching fish to feed fish is counter productive. A protein source is needed.

Black Soldier Fly provide very high quality protein. They clean and harvest themselves. A smart business could get paid to take away 'waste' and convert it to BSF protein.

Continuing...

The protein content and nutritional breakdown of BSF larvae will compete with any leading brand of feed in the market.

42% protein is high. High protein (in suitable feed) produces high fish yields. High yield equals high profit...

Further to this, which we'll get into details later, the higher protein fish wastes are a more potent fertiliser than lower protein wastes.

When spring arrives I'll be setting up a small BSF composting operation so you can follow the journey, hoping to take some wastes off a couple of stores only hundreds of metres away. Perhaps I'll blog it.

BSF could easily be a stand alone business. Get paid to remove wastes and sell small amounts at high prices to fishing and aquarium stores, local e-trade, and when you have bulk find a local fish farmer to buy the excess. Use the 5% friable waste that is left over for vermiculture and worm castings can be another product to sell.

In getting out and talking to people about a supply of larvae, worms and casts, the response is positive from both private and business. I barely have to leave my block. This is in Auckland, New Zealand.

I will be selling some of my BSF larvae, but a lot of them will be fed to eels.

Due to highly restrictive laws here regarding species eels are my option. However, when raised and flushed correctly, they're really good.

Cultured eels contain very high amounts of oils. Without the presense of fishmeal I can avoid mercury contamination of a high omega oils product. Market will be immense. But I'm just in the canoe here, tis my wee flagship.

Problem! A supply of young eels is not a given. As wild stocks are depleted less young return to our country each year. The adult swims to Tonga, and breeds in the trench there, then dies. The spawn make their way back.

Solution. A local biologist successfully bred eels in captivity and has taught others around the world how he did this. Still problems with getting them through their infancy but progress continues.

Aquaculture solution. A govt body controls reserve waterways and land (already established in many places, reserves) and they release cultured broodstock. Culture operations keep back a percentage of adult stock for this purpose. This should help avoid inbreeding.

There are many fish that can be cultured. If I was in the States I'd be looking at Tilapia. A rapidly growing omnivorous table fish, high in oils, breed easily, eat almost anything.

We'll look at what I do with fish poo next. Or fertiliser, as I see it.

We've already created several income streams.

Cash for removing 'rubbish'
Larvae
Worm Castings
Fish.

Tilapia I don't know about where you live but tilapia are exotics, when intensely aquacultered exotics will alwasy find their way into the local waters. Aquarium keepers catch hell all the time for exotic releases but the real problem fish are almost all accedentally released exotics. For my money, catfish are much better. channel cats are easy to raise and very good to eat, as are black and brown bullheads.If you want a really big fish that's very easy to keep alive then white bullheads are a good idea. Catfish are delicious when farm raised and they are native! tilapia are bland and tasteless and exotic, no contest from my stand point.

When I raise fish I grow my own fish food as daphnia and earth worms. fish waste is consumed by earth worms and they give you protien and earth worm casteings. Waste water is used on a garden, even the state boys approve!

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Moontanman

Tilapia I don't know about where you live but tilapia are exotics, when intensely aquacultered exotics will alwasy find their way into the local waters. Aquarium keepers catch hell all the time for exotic releases but the real problem fish are almost all accedentally released exotics. For my money, catfish are much better. channel cats are easy to raise and very good to eat, as are black and brown bullheads.If you want a really big fish that's very easy to keep alive then white bullheads are a good idea. Catfish are delicious when farm raised and they are native! tilapia are bland and tasteless and exotic, no contest from my stand point.

When I raise fish I grow my own fish food as daphnia and earth worms. fish waste is consumed by earth worms and they give you protien and earth worm casteings. Waste water is used on a garden, even the state boys approve!

Good to hear MTM, catfish is a delicacy around our parts.

[Ahmabeliever]

Good local advice thank you. When selecting fish species go local. I thought Tilapia were locals in US sorry, they're so common in aquaculture there.

Cats I would use for polyculture with a surface feeder if I could. But I'm now jumping the gun.

We have the brown bullheads here (an introduced pest hehe) I was catching them beside Waihou river in Waitoa village after annual winter floods subsided into a pool. Tons of fish in roughly 1/8 acre. They all died if you didn't fish em except the eels got away to the river at night in the dew. I suspect some of our local species could do this too but no proof except that they can climb and can hide in mud and live without water for 12-14 days. Easy way to catch em in a drought is pick up the rocks in the lowest points of dry stream beds, they're lying there in the damp like sardines waiting for water.

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by Ahmabeliever

Good local advice thank you. When selecting fish species go local. I thought Tilapia were locals in US sorry, they're so common in aquaculture there.

Cats I would use for polyculture with a surface feeder if I could. But I'm now jumping the gun.

We have the brown bullheads here (an introduced pest hehe) I was catching them beside Waihou river in Waitoa village after annual winter floods subsided into a pool. Tons of fish in roughly 1/8 acre. They all died if you didn't fish em except the eels got away to the river at night in the dew. I suspect some of our local species could do this too but no proof except that they can climb and can hide in mud and live without water for 12-14 days. Easy way to catch em in a drought is pick up the rocks in the lowest points of dry stream beds, they're lying there in the damp like sardines waiting for water.

You'd be amazed at how long catfish can live without water buried in mud or even in a damp sack in the shade. it's a common misunderstanding that catfish only feed on the bottom, catfish will feed anywhere the food is, even being caught on artifiicial lures. I have trained a flathead catfish to come when called and eat from my hand at the surface. I used to catch channel cats with cicadas (www.cicado.com/cicada-top.JPG) I floated them on the surface and channel cats would come out of the water when they hit them! Sorry to hear Bullheads are a pest where you live, brown bullheads are a valuable sport fish here and are caught routinely at 3 to 5 lbs and sometimes as much as 15 to 20lbs. White bullheads average larger and will live in brackish water. Black and brown bullheads will over populate and result in smaller average fish if no preditors are present to eat them. We even have problems with fish that are native to the Mississippi river basin becoming established here on the east coast, flathead catfish have almost decimated the bullhead population in the rivers here in North Carolina. Now they are letting a Europeon sturgeon called a sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) be sold into the pet trade instead of using a native small sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) . I expect them to start turning up in the mississippi river soon and they will probably beat out the native small sturgeons. Sterlets are the Carp of the sturgeon family
Tilapia will probably become locals soon, the governemnt is pushing them on farmers and soon they will be part of the problem like all the grass carp, black carp, peacock bass, the list goes on and on.

[Ahmabeliever]

You guys need our sterile grass carp. Clean the water then die. Same guy who bred the eels breeds them too.