Asian-Pacific Aquaculture 2019

June 19 - 21, 2019

Chennai Tamil Nadu - India

ENGINEERING APPLICATION FOR SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS

Ramakrishnan Kulasekaran, M.Tech ( Aquaculture Engineering)  *
Chief Executive, Kula Aqua Consultant Private Limited, Chennai, India, www.kulaaqua.com
 

Sustainable Aquaculture is critical at this juncture when India is expanding in to culturing many species using different aquaculture systems in different production levels. Sustainability of aquaculture system depends upon the species, site, type, levels and integrations. Sustainable aquaculture refers to practicing aquaculture in the most responsible manner preserving the natural resources, protecting the environment, applying the right technologies efficiently with economic viability and social acceptance.

An aquatic system can be termed sustainable if all the adverse changes created to the system in the process of the culture activity can be nullified by proper removal /treatment process using appropriate advanced aquaculture systems. The different types of waste created in the aquatic system are

  1. Settled solids of uneaten feed, faeces, decayed algae and other organic matter
  2. Suspended Particles of uneaten feed and faeces
  3. Change in water chemistry due to production of Total Ammoniacal Nitrogen, addition of Co2, reduction of dissolve oxygen, dissolution of nutrients (Protein, fat, oil, vitamin and minerals, etc) from the feed in to the water

These changes if left untreated and drained as such in to the natural ecosystem will definitely alter the biological carrying capacity of the open water bodies and this practice if continued by all the aquaculturists adjoining the water body, the water quality detioration will be faster and will ultimately make the waterbody unsuitable for the activity, especially in enclosed water bodies where the natural restoration rate is far below the pollution rate.

So, it is very much required that all the aquaculture systems must adopt suitable innovative technologies as below to achieve sustainability in aquaculture production systems

  1. Installation of Effluent Treatment System for the outdoor open aquaculture system
  2. Constructed wetlands in the case of freshwater aquaculture
  3. Recirculating Aquaculture Systems for the closed outdoor pond culture / closed outdoor raceway culture.  
  4. Indoor Recirculation Aquaculture Systems for intensive and super intensive production of high value species.

This paper will explain the design process of the components of the above-mentioned system by adopting suitable aquaculture engineering measures to achieve aquaculture activity with efficient production, economic operation and maintenance.