Alternate Aquaculture, Biofloc, Inland Low Salinity Groundwater Aquaculture

1. Aquaculture Consultants
Freshwater, Brackishwater & Marine Farming
Khalid A. Memon
CEO, Aquaculture Technologies
www.aquatechpk.com

2. Sustainable Marine & Brackishwater
Aquaculture
Shrimp & Finfish Farming
• Costal Shrimp Culture
• Coastal Land Based & Cage Finfish Culture
• Inland Low Salinity Shrimp & Finfish Culture

3. Marine Shrimp & Finfish Farming
 Conventional Marine Shrimp Culture

4. Marine Shrimp & Finfish Farming
 Marine Finfish Cage Culture

5. Old Ideas
Proven Developments in Aquaculture
 Biofloc Technology in Shrimp Culture
• Open Lined / Cemented Ponds
• Indoor Tanks / Covered Ponds
 Inland Low Salinity Groundwater Aquaculture
• Open Ponds
• Indoor Tanks

6. Cultured & Experimental Species
• Pacific White Shrimp - Litopenaeus vannamei
• Gilthead sea bream - Sparus aurata
• Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus)
• Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
• Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)
• Cobia (Rachycentron canadum)
• Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
• Black Tiger Shrimp and Banana (monodon & merguiensis)

7. Biofloc Technology Simplified
Conventional Intensified Culture Systems:
• Intensive farming requires more supplementary protein feed
resulting in environmental pollution
• This pollution is caused by dead algae, excessive uneaten feeds, fish
and shrimp excreta and other organic matter
• Deteriorates water quality
• Increases risk of disease outbreaks
• Contributes to nitrogen pollution in the culture system released in
the form of ammonia and nitrite
• Ammonia and nitrite are toxic to cultured animals
• High levels of ammonia effect growth and moulting in shellfish
• High oxygen consumption results in fish shrimp mortalities
• Intensive farming requires frequent water exchanges

8. Biofloc Technology Simplified
Biofloc Technology Systems (BFT):
• BFT helps in solving culture water and feed problems.
• When carbon is added, nitrogen compounds combine with it to
produce flocs of protein molecules.
• These molecules form a floating mass called bioflocs which are
dominated by bacteria.
• The production of microbial biomass, are used by the culture
species as additional high protein source.
• The bacteria take up ammonium from the water to produce
microbial protein.
• BFT removes ammonia-nitrogen from the water.
• BFT creates additional feed for the shrimp thus reducing feed
inputs but increasing production due to higher rate of stocking.

9. Biofloc Technology Basics
1. SPF Post larvae
2. HDPE lined ponds
3. Sludge removal (requires less water)
4. Control inlet & discharge gates (no leakages)
5. Clean pond & equipment
6. Screen & treat water
7. Correct aeration system & Paddle wheel position in ponds
8. High aeration –28 to 32 HP/ha PWAs
9. Grain (pellet)
10. Molasses
11. Crab Fence & Bird scare lines
12. Control workers , visitors & their movement

10. Benefits of Biofloc Culture System
• Limited or zero water exchange
• Higher bio-security
• Environmentally friendly system
• Reduction of nutrient rich effluent discharge
• Protein reuse (Higher efficiency up to 45%)
• Cost-effective ( Grain based pellet feeds)
• Full control of toxic nitrogen compound such as ammonia
and nitrites
• High Production 6 – 12 MT /acre/crop

11. Thai Tilapia BFT

12. Inland Low Salinity Groundwater Aquaculture
Advantages of inland saline aquaculture include:
• Use of unproductive land without sweet water source
• Use of high volume unexploited saline groundwater that
is presently considered a waste stream
• Potential for commercial production of a highly
marketable product
• Faster fish growth due to constant elevated water
temperatures
• Improved feed management and food conversion
efficiencies
• Biosecure water supply and ability to manage
environmental impacts (such as water and nutrients)

13. Desert Shrimp Farm Arizona USA

14. L. vannamei Shrimp Culture Probability at HUB Baluchistan
COMPARISON OF WATER CHEMISTRY FROM ARIZONA SHRIMP FARM VS. HUB AREA
COMPONENT SEA WATER DILUTE SEA Arizona Shrimp HUB AREA
(mg/l) (www.) WATER (Calc.) Co. (Lab & Boyd) Baluchistan
Salinity (ppt) 35.0 4.5 7.4 6.9
pH 8.2 ND 7.6 8.0
Alkalinity 125.0 ND 220.0 152.0
Cl (Chloride) 19,400.0 2,494.3 3,223.0 2,836.8
Na (Sodium) 10,500.0 1,350.0 2,595.0 1,561.7
SO4 (Sulphate) 2,740.0 352.3 2,313.0 1,485.1
Mg (Magnesium) 1,272.0 163.5 222.0 291.8
Ca (Calcium) 400.0 51.4 497.0 440
K (Potassium) 380.0 48.9 15.2 3.1
K/Cl Factor 0.0196 0.0196 0.0047 0.001
For K/Cl Factor of 0.0100,
K should be
NA NA 32.2 28.4
Grams of KCl to be added
per 1,000 liters of new None None 34.1 50.8
water

15. Limitations Overcome
1. Feed:
Feed cost constitutes about 50-60% of the total farm cost.
Availability of locally produced feed can be overcome by producing
floating and sinking feeds on site. Several low cost options are
now available. Extruder equipment costing hundred thousand
dollars a few years ago, is now available at a fraction of the cost.

16. Limitations Overcome
2. Seed: Farms around the world are switching over to culturing
the Pacific White Shrimp L vannamei and trials conducted in
Sindh have been successful and acceptable by local processors.
• Slow growth syndrome – emerging problem in Penaeus monodon
• Availability of vannamei shrimp Specific Pathogen Free SPF & CPF
• High tolerance to salinity levels 1 – 40 ppt
• Stocking rates of up to 150 m²
• Grows as fast as tiger shrimp
• Vannamei is easier to breed and has excellent qualities
• Better survival rates as against monodon and indicus
• Market acceptability is very good.

17. Limitations Overcome
P. Monodon vs. L. vannamei

18. Limitations
3. Government Assistance
• Governmental and fisheries agencies to allocate suitable
land for shrimp farming.
• Fisheries Department to provide shrimp seed including
vannamei
• Governmental and fisheries agencies should offer incentives
to farmers and potential investors
• Lease of land at reasonable rates under a Land Grant Policy
• Soft Loans, income and profit tax rebates
• Assistance with collective infrastructure such as roads,
electricity, water channels, bunds and drainage.

19. THANK YOU
Khalid A. Memon
CEO, Aquaculture Technologies
www.aquatechpk.com