World Aquaculture December 2019

64 DECEMBER 2019 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG wastage of water, poor aeration, challenged water quality and risks to natural resources. The In-Pond Raceway System (IPRS) is one of these modern technologies, combining the features and benefits of raceway technology, cage culture, recirculating aquaculture systems and pond culture. The IPRS technology was developed in 2006 at Auburn University, which began by evaluating a commercial-scale unit at a catfish farm in west Alabama, USA. The technology has been introduced and adopted in China (2013-2014), Vietnam (2016), Mexico (2017), India and Egypt (2018) and Colombia (2019. Pakistan is the next destination for this revolutionary production technology. Principles and Components of the IPRS The principle of the IPRS is to concentrate fish in raceways within a pond and provide themwith continuous water circulation to maintain optimal water quality and improve feed management. The IPRS also has the potential to reduce solid waste loading to the pond by concentrating and removing solids from the downstream end of raceway units. Water circulation, mixing and aeration are critical elements to this approach because they accelerate assimilation of organic loading to the pond from fish feeding. Important components of IPRS are described here. A raceway with typical dimensions of 25 m × 5 m each and a depth of 2 m is installed in a pond of 1 ha. It occupies about 2.5 last decade, and gradually transforming from extensive culture to semi-intensive farming. Lack of awareness of modern aquaculture techniques and of the value and availability of floating aquafeeds are major impediments to development. A baseline assessment of the Pakistani aquaculture sector was conducted in 2012 by Drs. Kevin Fitzsimmons, JohnWoiwode and R.S.N. Janjua, with recommendations for action supported by Drs. Woiwode, Karen Veverica and RamBhujel. Major tangible outcomes of this programwere establishment of the first extruded aquafeed mill (2013) and tilapia hatchery (2014) in Pakistan. Since these historic breakthroughs, the aquaculture industry has revolutionized and embraced modern technologies. Strenuous efforts were made by the FEEDing Pakistan Program ( www.wishh.org/the-feeding-pakistan-project-a-success- story) and the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) project, both supported by the American Soybean Association with funding support from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, and implemented by SoyPak and the Fisheries Development Board in Pakistan from 2011-2018. The objectives of these efforts were to introduce floating soy-based feed and promote tilapia culture. In this evolving time, there is a need for technologies that can resolve the major problems of the aquaculture sector in Pakistan, including low production per unit area, high cost, high FCR, Construction of the first In-Pond Raceway System (IPRS) technology demonstra- tion site in Pakistan. Freshly poured concrete floors of raceways are shown. The first In-Pond Raceway System (IPRS) technology demonstration site in Pakistan. Note vertical reinforcing rods for concrete pillars and raceways walls. Equipment imported from China for first IPRS demonstration site. The first In-Pond Raceway System (IPRS) technology demonstration site in Pakistan. From left to right, Mr. Kamran Maqsood (Punjab Fish Farm), R.S.N. Janjua (Consultant, SoyPak), Dr. Shafaq Fatima (Principal Investigator, Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University).