Outline : FinFish Production (Aqua 4000)
Instructors: J. Duston, Ph.D. Term: Fall
Updated: Jan '07
Aspects of breeding and genetics, fish management, financial management, economics, marketing, housing systems, and water management are presented in an integrated approach to provide a sound understanding of this aspect of aquaculture. Management of finfish throughout the life cycle is presented. Course includes week-end field trip to commercial aquaculture sites.
|
Week |
Lectures: Mon, Wed, Fri, 9-10 |
Lab: Monday 2-5pm |
| 1 |
1. Perspective: Global vs. local production. State
of salmon farming. Production vs. market driven. U.S. market and Chile.
New species: cod hope. |
Weekend field trip to commercial and Govt. finfish farms. |
| 2 |
2. Environmental factors affecting growth Temperature:
lethal and optimum. Site selection. Body size. Feeds and feeding methods.
Ration. FCR. Auto-feeders, cameras, feeding endpoint. |
Note: Lab material can change on ad hoc basis to involve students in current
husbandry or research tasks.
Determining inventory, mean weights, rations. Use MS222.
|
| 3 |
Oxygen. Delivery, consumption rates and monitoring. Emergency back-up. |
Aeration equipment. Operation and maintenance. Field trip: Striped bass
farm. |
| 4 |
Waste management: Solids, ammonia, carbon dioxide. Design of tanks, inlets
& drains. Hydrodynamics.
Photoperiod: boosting growth, cutting sexual maturity. |
Operation of flow through and recirculation systems. Essay due: Focus
on one species |
| 5 |
3. Atlantic salmon smolts Wild vs. cultured. Age/size
at smolting. Maximising production 4. Rainbow trout. vs.
salmon. 100 years breeding and global production. Fresh vs. seawater growout. |
Tagging fish. PIT-tags vs. Floy tags. Striped bass ration trial: Measure
fish, calculate food conversion ratio, growth rate, stocking density. |
| 6 |
All female production. Raceways, Idaho. Effluent regulations. 5.
Arctic charr Promise not realized. ’05: new hope. Millbrook. Problems:
early maturity, growth variation, niche markets. |
Atlantic salmon post smolts: Measurement.
Calculation growth rates |
| 7 |
Arctic charr potential solutions: photoperiod, grading, stocking density.
6. Eels. Reliant on wild ‘seed’. Wild stocks. Eels markets.
Density, temperature, ration. |
Arctic charr broodstock: stripping gametes, fertilization |
| 8 |
Problems of sex control and body size. 7. Striped bass. Tasty yet borderline
profitable. Wild stock rebound threat. 9. Broodstock management. Breeding
programs cost-benefits. |
Electrofishing: Farnham brook. Restocking programs pros and cons. |
| 9 |
Mass selection vs. Index selection. Effective population size. Inbreeding
depression. Gonadal maturation. Vitellogenesis. |
No lab: Thanksgiving |
| 10 |
10. Spawning. Assessing egg maturation: Biopsy techniques. Inducing hormones
theory and practice. In-tank spawning vs. stripping. Egg collectors. |
Biopsy of striped bass broodstock. Induced spawning with GnRH and gonadotropin |
| 11 |
11. Fertilisation. Manual, in-tank. Single pair mating risk. Triploids:
pros and cons. 12. Incubation. Pelagic vs. benthic eggs. Degree days. Deformities.
Egg shocking and shipping. Yolk-sac phase. |
Incubation and management of salmonid vs. striped bass eggs. |
| 12 |
13. Larvae and first feeding. Salmonids vs. marine pelagics. Particulate
vs. live feed. Artemia, rotifers. Enrichment. Cod focus. Review of course. |
Artemia culture methods. Field trip: Arctic charr farm. |
| 
|
