MARICULTURE - BAG220

Marine Aquaculture (Mariculture)

Learn about the general selection and management for farming salt water species of plants and animals.

Deals with the farming of salt water species of fish, shellfish, seaweed and other marine products
Learn to plan and manage the farming of a wide variety of marine life
Self paced study, expert tutors, start anytime, 100 hours of learning to give you a sound foundation in marine aquaculture.

“Mariculture” is a sub-category of Aquaculture that deals specifically with Marine (salt water) Aquaculture.

Course Content and Structure

This course includes the following lessons:

Lesson 1: Aquaculture Production Systems

What is Mariculture?
Purposes of mariculture
Classification of culture systems
Extensive production (Ep)
Intensive production (Ip)
Classifications based on system input
Open systems (off-shore and near-shore)
Semi-closed systems
Closed systems (on shore)
Common culture method for each marine category
Cage culture
Cage design: Floating flexible, floating rigid, semi-submersible and submersible
Hanging Culture: Raft and suspended trays
Long-line culture
Vertical or rack culture
Bottom culture: Bottom sowing and cultch lines
Stone, stake culture, net and umbrella culture
Semi-enclosed: flow through tanks
Closed Systems (CAS): Recirculating, raceways, and inland ponds

Lesson 2: Starting a Marine Aquaculture (Mariculture) Business

Economics of establishing and running a farm
The need for a feasibility study
Economic analysis
Requisites for establishing a business
Factors to consider
Industry competition
Availability of leased and quotas
Economy of scale
Site selection and water quality
Properties of salt water
Water quality management
Environmental impacts.
Food chain problems
Using wild broodstock
Nutrient pollution
Chemical pollution
Spreading pathogens
Escapes
Habitat effects
Managing environmental impacts
Improving the genetic quality of fish
Biotechnology

Lesson 3: Choosing a Species

Choosing a marketable species
What information is available?
Understand your competition before selecting a species
Common mariculture species
Selection criteria
Climate
Water resource
Finance
Scale of operation
Market demand and access
Availability of animals
Risk considerations
Product markets
Product, price and promotion

Lesson 4: Finfish

Industry overview
Types of mariculture
Broodstock/seed supply
Growout
Commonly cultured species
Tuna
Atlantic salmon
Steelhead Salmon (Saltwater rainbow trout)
Yellowtail (Japanese Amberjack)
Sea Bass
Gilt-head sea bream
Water quality management

Lesson 5: Crustaceans

Industry overview
Types of mariculture
Broodstock/seed supply
Growout
Commonly cultivated species
Penaeid shrimp (prawn)
Graspid Crabs
Lobster

Lesson 6: Molluscs and Echinoderms

Industry overview - molluscs
Types of bivalve culture
Broodstock/seed supply
Growout
Abalone
Oysters
Cultured mussels
Scallops
Giant clams
Industry overview - echinoderms
Types of mariculture
Breedstock/seed supply
Growout
Commonly cultivated species
Sea Urchins
Sea cucumbers

Lesson 7: Seaweeds and Aquatic Algae

Industry overview
Types of mariculture
Broodstock/seed supply
Land-based cultivation systems
Tanks
Ponds
Sea cultivation
Farming methods
Vegetative cultivation
Cultivation involving a reproductive cycle
Commonly cultivated species
Laminaria japonica
Porphyra sp.
Undaria sp.
Eucheuma seaweed

Lesson 8: Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical value of marine organisms
Examples of species used in marine biotechnology
Sea urchin
Sea cucumber
Marine sponges
Seaweeds (algae)

Lesson 9: Diet Formulation and feeding

Feeding strategies
Nil input
Water fertilisation
Supplementary feeding
Complete diet feeding
Fish feed
Feeding and feed components
Environmental problems associated with fish feeding
Mycotoxins in feeds
Aflatoxins
Ochratoxins
Fumonisins
Trichothecenes
Managing mycotoxins in prepared feeds

Lesson 10: Health Management – Diseases and Parasites

Causes of disease
Health management and mitigation strategies
Treatment of diseases and parasites
General principles
Common signs that fish are unhealthy
Common diseases of finfish
Emerging pathogens
Common diseases of crustaceans
Common diseases of bivalves (molluscs)

Lesson 11: Harvest and Post Harvest Handling

Examples of product forms
Harvest/post harvest handling of selected species

Duration: 100 hours

What does Mariculture involve?

Mariculture involves farming marine life -normally animals, but also plants (eg. seaweed for sushi)

There are many different places you can farm marine life; from open oceans to protected estuaries; and many different ways you can farm sea life. Choosing a species of marine creature that will produce successfully in your area, and understanding their management, there are important considerations that should be looked at when making a decision. These may include:

Choose a marketable species

Some species may easy to grow but are more difficult to market than others. You need to be informed as to which fish will sell best in your anticipated market.

What information is available?

Attempting to farm species with incomplete production information or production peculiarities is a very risky venture. Although some species are widely consumed, some have unsolved production problems.
Faced with production obstacles, a producer could fail to reach production goals.

In any new business, and especially in mariculture, cumulative short-term setbacks can lead to heavy monetary losses.

Understand your competition before selecting a species

If you are considering mariculture as a business because you think there is limited competition, then you should reconsider. Many seafood industries are well established and very competitive.

Understanding your competitors allows your production and marketing programs to develop around specific species and markets which will provide you with the greatest profit. Remember also that other seafood is not the only competition you will have to consider. Competition from all protein sources, such as poultry, beef and pork, must be considered.
Your choice will depend on many considerations, including:

Climate
Water resources
Finance
Scale of operation
Other resources: manpower, knowledge, Support services, etc.
Ecological considerations: availability of animals, legislation on living animal trade
Risk Considerations: disease, pest, reliability of growth rate, stability of markets
Market demand and access

Some of the Most Commonly Farmed Marine Life

The following species are (globally) more commonly farmed than most others:

Japanese kelp (Laminaria japonica)
Pacific cupped oyster (Crassostrea gigas)
Japanese carpet shell (Ruditapes philippinarum)
Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis)
Laver / Nori (Porphyra spp.)
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Tambalang / Elkhorn / Spinosum (Eucheuma cottonii)
Giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon)
Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis)
Blood cockle (Anadara granosa)
Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida)
Fleshy prawn (Penaeus chinensis)
Red seaweeds (Kappaphycus spp. & Eucheuma spp.)
Whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)
Japanese amberjack / Yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata)
Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
Green mussel (Perna viridis)
Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)
Silver / Red seabream (Pagrus major)
New Zealand / Green shelled mussel (Pena canaliculus)
European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

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