PRINCIPLES OF
AQUACULTURE
(AKU3201)
LeSSon 3
AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS
CAGE CULTURE
CAGE CULTURE
Introduction & definition
Current status & types of species
Types of cage culture
Site selection
Advantages & disadvantages
Problem & opportunities
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Method of culture
• Cages
• Raceway
• Recirculating
• Others – tanks, strings, rack,
pisciponic
• Ponds
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CAGE CULTURE
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CAGE CULTURE
The Great Lake
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CAGE CULTURE
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CAGE CULTURE
• Rigid structures or frame with net of suitable
mesh size
• Retain aquaculture species in a confined
area
• Depends on water movement around them
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CAGE CULTURE
• Floating or submerged units
• Placed in open water
• Example: reservoir, river, estuary, open
ocean
• Fed with pellet/thrash food
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Current status of cage culture
Top countries
China
Norway
Chile
Japan
United Kingdom
Vietnam
Canada
Turkey
Greece, Indonesia & the Philippines
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Type of species (Marine)
• Finfish of high-valued species
• Majority carnivorous => Need high protein &
fish meal diets
• Example: Grouper, Seabass, Snapper, Salmon
• Salmonids are the dominant cage culture in
volume (66%) and value (>US$4.7 billion; Tacon
& Halwart, 2007)
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Tiger grouper
• Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (Kerapu)
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Asian seabass/ barramundi
• Lates calcarifer (Siakap)
• Euryhaline
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Red Snapper
• Lutjanus malabaricus (Ikan merah)
Type of species (Freshwater)
• Catfish and Tilapia in river or lake
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CAGE CULTURE
• Fingerling to marketable size
Fish source : Hatchery or fish trap 15
Advantages
• Full exploitation of the existing water body
(ocean, estuary, river, lake or pond)
• Relatively low construction cost
• Easy to construct & harvest
• Continuous flow of clean/new water
• Waste, excessive feed are not accumulated in
the culture system
• Stocking rate can be regulated easily
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Disadvantages
• High risk & labour intensive
• Rapid disease spread
• Little or no control of water quality
• Noxious algal bloom
• Slower species growth compared to pond culture
• Vulnerable to natural hazard (strong tides, storms &
typhoons)
• Theft
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Disadvantages
Biofouling (Fouling organism)
- Accumulation of different organism on a submerged
substrate
- Example : Barnacles, green mussels, oysters, tunicates
- Clog the net
• Small mesh size (0.7-1.3 cm) – 7-14 days
• Larger mesh size (2.5-3.8 cm) – 1-2 months
• Net need to be replaced once a month
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Disadvantages
How to remove?
- Mechanical cleaning
- Jet water
- Biological coating
- Net material
Bio Fouling
Solutions
Site selection - Crucial
Problem
Improper placement of cage with poor water
circulation
Low dissolved oxygen
Buildup of metabolic wastes – poor water quality,
dense algal bloom, disease outbreak
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Things to consider
• Culture practices
• Climate
– Raining Season
– Typhoon
• Water quality
• Human activities 24
Things to consider
• Non-polluted area
• Protected/sheltered area
• Low drastic salinity change
• Small waves (except cage in deep sea
areas)
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Common types of cages
• Floating cages
• Submerged cages
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Floating Cages (square)
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Cages (circular)
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Floating cages construction
Five (5) main components
Frame
Floater
Net/ Cage
Weight
Anchor
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Frame
• Hold net
• Stainless steel/wood/bamboos/ ropes
• Floatation devices
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Frame
Netting
• Polyethlyene, polyester wire nylon
• Net mesh size < Fish size
• Small mesh size – easily clogged
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• Depth: 1m – 20 m
• Freeboard: 15-30 cm
• Weightage at every
side
• Metal frame
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Submerged cages
- Deep waters to overcome strong waves &
rough seas
- Problem: ?? Clogs the mesh of net (low
oxygen)
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Issues
• Public waters
• Feed
• Cage design
• Water quality
• Diseases – use of vaccine to replace
antibiotic
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Opportunities
Water cover 71 % of earth’s surface
96.5% oceans
2.5 % freshwater
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Knots
Bowline knots
Knots
Clove hitch knots
• SUMMARY
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RAS
• RAS= Recirculating aquaculture systems
• Water is processed to restore water quality
• Recycle back to the culture tank
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Suitable when:
1) Land or water is limited
2) Natural water is of poor quality
3) Ambient temperatures for cultured spp.
are outside the range
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Figure 1 – Required unit processes and some typical
components used in recirculating aquaculture
production systems (Losordo et al. 1998)
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WASTE SOLID REMOVAL
WASTE SOLID REMOVAL
WASTE SOLID REMOVAL
• Biofilter
- Substrate on which aerobic bacteria will grow
- Bacteria change the form of nitrogen from
toxic to non-toxic form
- Toxic = Ammonia (NH3)
- NH3 -> NO2 (Nitrosomonas)
- NO2 -> NO3 (Nitrobacter)
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Fluidized bed filter
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UV Filter
Flow-through
• Water continuously flow
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Raceway
• Water continuously flow
• Common shapes – circular and rectangular
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Strings
• Semi-controlled
• Boat & strings/rope
• Marine
• Bivalve & seaweed
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Pisciponic
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Pisciponic
• Culture synergy of fish & plant
• Maximum use of water, soil, space &
increase production & income
• Reduce nutrient need 75-100%
• Minimum aquaculture waste
• Japanese salad, kailan, tomato
• Baung, keli, tilapia
• Tilapia the best
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Stake
• Semi controlled & marine
• Clams/abalone/oysters
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Tray/Raft
• Semi-controlled & marine
• Bivalve (oyster/clams)
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Pen (Crab)
• Introduced by Jabatan Pertanian Sarawak
• Application – SEA & Australia
• Cage constructed in mangrove area
• Minimum cutting (20%) & sustain forest area
• Ketam nipah Scylla serrata, S. olivacea, S.
tranquebarica
- Several unit of pens could be made inside the ponds using
bamboo stripe
- Deep into the soil to prevent escape of crabs by burrowing
- Pens could be made near to the dykes for easy stocking and
monitoring
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Sea Ranching
• Selection of wild broodstock & artificial
production of juveniles which are released
into the natural environment then harvest
• Semi-controlled
• Species: Salmon, lobster
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Seacage cultivator
• Combination of raft, line and cage
• Facility:
– Wave resistant
– Ease of handling
– Production per area is high
• Semi control
• Commercial species: abalone, sea cucumber
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Bioreactor
• Culture of
microalga for
health product
and live feed for
fish, crustacean
and molluscan
larvae
• Chlorella, Spirullina
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Key attributes of a successful aquaculture
business include:
• Fish farming experience (animal husbandry);
• Market knowledge;
• Understanding of species site selection
requirements;
• Appropriate system design; and
• Business management experience.
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• SUMMARY
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