CONTROL OF WATER QUALITY IN INTENSIVE GEOTHERMAL FISH CULTURE

AQUACULTURE, THE CONTROLLED FARMING OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS, OFFERS PROMISING NEW ALTERNATIVE SUPPLIES OF FISH PRODUCTS. THE CHANNEL CATFISH, ICTALURUS PUNCTATUS, IS ONE OF 12 SPECIES DESIGNATED BY THE NATIONAL AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AS HAVING HIGH PRIORITY FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT. ALTHOUGH LOW DENSITY POND PRODUCTION SYSTEMS ARE IN USE THROUGHOUT THE U.S., DATA IS REQUIRED THAT WOULD PERMIT THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTENSIVE, HIGH-DENSITY CULTURE SYSTEMS, USEFUL IN REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF LAND AND WATER RESOURCES NECCESSARY FOR COMMERCIAL CATFISH FARMING. ASI IS EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY OF COMMERCIAL, VERY HIGH-DENSITY CHANNEL CATFISH CULTURE, USING GEOTHERMAL WATER AND LIQUID OXYGEN. CRITICAL DATA ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS OF CHANNEL CATFISH IN INTENSIVE CULTURE SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN OBTAINED, INDICATING THE NEED TO EVALUATE THE COMBINED, INTERACTIVE EFFECTS OF SEVERAL METABOLIC WASTES AND CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS PRESENT AS A RESULT OF THE VERY HIGH DENSITIES UTILIZED. SEVERAL NOVEL CULTURE TECHNIQUES, INCLUDING THE USE OF HIGH-DENSITY CIRCULAR TANKS AND LIQUID OXYGEN INJECTION, WILL BE EVALUATED FOR INCORPORATION INTO THE PRODUCTION PROCESS. ALSO, AN OVERALL RETURN-ON-INVESTMENT ANALYSIS WILL BE CONDUCTED EVALUATE THE COMMERCIAL FEASIBILITY OF INTENSIVE CHANNEL CATFISH FARMING.