Aquaculture America 2023

February 23 - 26, 2023

New Orleans, Louisiana USA

EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF AN INTEGRATED MULTI-TROPHIC RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEM USING STRIPED BASS Morone saxatilis, SAND WORMS Alitta virens, AND SEA BEANS Salicornia bigelovii

Michael Acquafredda* & Beth Phelan


NOAA NEFSC James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory

74 Magruder Road

Highlands, New Jersey, 07732-4054
United States

Michael.Acquafredda@noaa.gov

 



In many ways, striped bass (Morone saxatilis) aquaculture production using recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) is commercially ready in the United States. The broodstock, larval, nursery, and grow-out husbandry techniques are established, wholesale and high-value niche markets exist, and consumer demand is high. However, as with other forms of finfish aquaculture, waste management is a major challenge constraining the expansion of RAS-reared striped bass. The objective of this project is to investigate whether integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) is a feasible and environmentally sustainable strategy for mitigating the wastes produced by RAS-reared striped bass. Specifically, we are testing the capacity of the polychaete Alitta virens (i.e., Nereis virens) and the halophyte Salicornia bigelovii to utilize solid and dissolved wastes, respectively. Commonly known as the sand worm, A. virens is an important bait species in the Northeast with high commercial value. S. bigelovii, also known as sea bean, pickleweed, and sea asparagus, is an edible, salt-tolerant plant with several commercial uses, from animal fodder and biofuel to human consumption. In this ongoing experiment, two nearly identical RAS systems were established. One system is a conventional RAS set-up for striped bass monoculture, while the other system has been altered for IMTA by adding tanks containing sand worms and sea beans. Over the course of the experiment, we are measuring and comparing striped bass growth, survival, and feed conversion ratio, system waste accumulation, and system maintenance metrics (e.g., number of weekly water changes) across the two systems. We are also measuring growth and survival of the sand worms and sea beans in the IMTA RAS. If successful, this novel IMTA combination may have the potential to diversify aquaculture operations, increase RAS sustainability, and give growers new sources of income through the sale of additional crops.