Tag: Fish

Fish Farming and Aquaponics

Fish Farming and Aquaponics

Posted on by Kbaumlier

When I was back in Wisconsin for the holidays, I spent some time with my friend Joe Kaye, who has been doing research and experimentation in the area of aquaponics, and making a fish farm.

Aquaponics is the symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a re-circulating system.  In a greenhouse setting, Kaye has been growing perch and using cattails, irises, and other native WI plants to filter the water.   The water needs to be filtered since fish excrete ammonia, which turns to nitrogen.  The nitrogen needs to be removed or it kills the fish.  Usually this is done by filtering the water through a bed of gravel, then to the plants, which remove the nitrates, and then back to the fish.

In Kaye’s greenhouse, the perch are in an insulated tank and are heated by day from the sun and light, and at night from a small heater.  Kaye chose perch to grow, since they are the favorite fish fry fish, are currently are selling at $17 a pound, and are supposed to be easy to grow.

Today Kaye has 100 perch growing.  Perch will grow to full-size in 2-3 years when outdoors, and indoors in one year.  Keeping the water warm, and feeding them as much as they can eat will increase their growth.

Years ago in Milwaukee, people used to fish in lake Michigan, and within an afternoon fill up a 5-gallon bucket with fish.  They would then bring the fish to their local church – and the popular Friday night tradition was founded.  Statewide, at a fish fry battered or deep-fried fish is  accompanied by potato (baked, mashed, French fries, etc.) and coleslaw.  This became popularity due to the tradition of meatless Fridays among German Catholics and Wisconsin’s proximity to Great Lakes.

Perch used to be widely available.  According to population estimates, the number of perch in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan has declined from 24.6 million in 1990, to 2.6 million in 2000, to 316,210 in 2009.  There are several efforts occurring in Wisconsin and other states to support improving water quality, and in increasing the fish population in the lake.

Milwaukee is location for fish farm and aquaculture.   Recently at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, a new School of Freshwater Science was created which includes research and education in the area of filtering water, aquaculture and other water issues.

At the forefront of aquaculture, a national non-profit organization called Growing Power that supports access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food and is at the forefront of acquaulture.  Their fish farms use plants such as basil and with the use of compost – other vegetable plants like tomatoes are grown while also filtering the  water for the fish. It was started by Will Allen, a former professional basketball player who bought the Milwaukee farm in 1993.  He was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” in 2008 for his work on urban farming, sustainable food production, and with Growing Power.

Next time I am in Wisconsin, I plan to visit Growing Power, and also to check in and see how Kaye’s fish are doing.

 

Image Source:

Growing Power

 

Links:

School of Freshwater Sciences

Growing Power – Hydroponics

 

 

Recyled Christmas Trees Get a New Life – Helping Fish and Wildlife

Recyled Christmas Trees Get a New Life – Helping Fish and Wildlife

Posted on by Kbaumlier

In my neighborhood we are starting to see Christmas trees on the curb, ready for pick up. Last year, In 2010, over 27 million Christmas trees were sold.

More communities are recycling Christmas trees – either using them to create mulch, or habitats for animals.

One newer use for recycled Christmas trees is to recycle them to create a better fish habitat.  In South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Montana – and many other locations in the U.S., fish and wildlife agencies have been collecting Christmas trees and putting them in lakes and waterways to create protective habitats for smaller fish.

In some states such as Wyoming, trees will be dropped in holes in the ice at Ocean Lake later this month.  In South Carolina, the trees will be put in Lake Hartwell.

The trees help provide cover for fish, and help promote the growth of fish by providing cover for smaller and younger fish.  The trees also are beneficial for insects that live near water, which is food for many fish.  Lakes often have woody habitats that rot away, and by adding Christmas trees, these types of habitats are replenished.

Other communities, such as Porter County in Indiana have gathered up Christmas trees and piled them up at a 25-acre wildlife rehabilitation site, which provides cover for birds, chipmunks, and other small wild animals.  The trees protect the animals from predators, and also make a shelter in cold weather.

Image Source:

U.S. Forest Service
Mr. Thomas Flickr Site
www.theflyfishingforum.com
www.escobarshighlandfarm.com

Links:

Christmas Trees Get New Life – Augusta Chronicle

Recycle a Christmas Tree – Save a Fish (Department of Fish and Game)

 

Fish Flying in Your Face – and No Fishing? Invasion of the Asian Carp

Fish Flying in Your Face – and No Fishing? Invasion of the Asian Carp

Posted on by Kbaumlier

Yesterday I got an email from my Senator which gave an update about what he is doing in support of the Great Lakes and the Asian carp problem.  I have not exactly understood what Asian carp are and why they are a threat – so I spent some time reading and researching about this issue.

Originally from Asia, they’re about 3 ft. long and weigh up to 100 lb, and are known to be difficult to  capture. They eat a lot and grow quickly into giant fish.  Asian carp arrived in the lower area of the Mississippi River in the 1970s, and recently they are about to enter the Great Lakes.  The states that border the Great Lakes are working together to try to keep the fish out.

Asian carp include the bighead carp and silver carp and are considered a invasive species, an animal or plant that moves into a new environment, often disrupting it. We are seeing more invasive species because of international trade bringing new species into new areas and because of climate change, which prompts species to migrate to better environments, often at the expense of those that already live there.

How did they get here?  Asian carp have been cultivated for aquaculture for more than 1,000 years, often raised in submerged rice paddies in China.  Catfish farmers in the U.S. imported Asian carp decades ago to eat up the algae in their ponds.  The fish slowly escaped into the wild and have been making their way up the Mississippi River.  The fish eat a lot, grow incredibly fast, and reproduce rapidly often called, “eating machines.”

The Asian carp eat plankton which then eliminates the bottom layer of the food chain. If the fish make it to the Great Lakes and start breeding, they could disrupt the existing ecosystem, potentially starving out the trout and other native fish that make the Great Lakes a popular tourism hot spot.

The silver carp also pose a direct threat to people in boats. When startled, the fish project themselves out of the water, turning into 40-lb. missiles that can cause injuries to boaters.

No one is certain that Asian carp have made it into the Great Lakes. The Army Corps of Engineers put an electric barrier in the canal to prevent the carp from infiltrating Lake Michigan.  No live fish have been found yet, but scientists discovered Asian carp DNA in the lake.

Currently there is a “Stop Asian Carp Act” in Congress introduced this year which would direct the Army Corps of Engineers to study the watersheds of the Illinois, Chicago, and Calumet rivers to determine the feasibility and best way to separate the rivers from the Great Lakes. The study would address flooding, wastewater, stormwater, and safety concerns. It also would direct the U.S. Geological Survey and the Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor and survey the waters of the Great Lakes basin to identify additional threats from Asian Carp, and to identify means of prevention.

Image Source:
www.JasonLindsey.com

Links:

Stop Asian Carp Website and Petition

Asian Carp Invasion video

Animal Planet: Asian Carp Invasion