New technologies for sustainable commercial finfish culture

Funded Activity Summary

A viable inland saline aquaculture industry will only develop if existing constraints to production are overcome and if the environmental impacts from effluent, which are an inevitable consequence of increasing production, are managed appropriately. The innovative SIFTS technology offers an order of magnitude improvement in fish production by its ability to grow high densities of fish at low cost, by efficiently preventing solid waste products from entering the natural environment, and by maintaining optimal oxygen levels and therefore fish growth even during algal blooms. Linking SIFTS to the irrigation of crop plants provides a cost-effective option for managing effluent and the potential for additional returns. These systems work in the laboratory, but it is essential that they be rigorously tested on a commercial scale in the field. The proving of the SIFTS technology in the small water bodies of the WA Wheatbelt will make the technology immediately available to other environments such as in freshwater lakes, storage reservoirs and in coastal areas where its superior production and waste minimization capabilities will be highly regarded both by industry and the community. For inland saline areas, the innovative SIFTS technology offers to transform the existing low-intensity, cottage industry into a commercial industry.

The need for this research is reflected in both FRDC’s National R&D plan for Inland Saline Aquaculture and the RIRDC R&D plan for Integrated Agri-Aquaculture Systems (IAAS). Specifically, the former R&D plan calls for the ‘identification of constraints to commercial developments and methods of overcoming these’, whereas the latter highlights the need for ‘appropriate, in-situ industry trials to evaluate suitable system design requirements from IAAS operations’.

Objectives:
1. Quantify the production capability of a commercial scale Semi-Intensive Floating Tank System (SIFTS).
2. Determine the effectiveness of the SIFTS waste removal system and in-pond bioremediation in preventing boom-bust microalgal cycles.
3. Determine the efficiency of irrigated crop plants in removing nutrients, salt and other pollutants from SIFTS aquaculture effluent.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 29-06-2005

End Date: 30-09-2008

Funding Scheme: Funding Scheme not available

Funding Amount: $660,146.00

Funder: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

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ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

Aquaculture | Fisheries Management | Innovation | Sustainability

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