Remodel Operating Cold Water Trout Farm into Combination Cold Water/Cool Water Fish Farm, While Diversifying Production and Maintaining a Reduced Ecological and Energy Footprint

Remodel Operating Cold Water Trout Farm into Combination Cold Water/Cool Water Fish Farm, While Diversifying Production and Maintaining a Reduced Ecological and Energy Footprint

Summary

WORK ACTIVITIES 2016

Cold water remodel changes include: 

1. Build a RAS type bio-filter into existing/operating trout rearing tank. Objective is to filter out ammonia nitrogen & increase production density (fish production) of downstream tanks.  Suspended solids by-pass plastic media bed is now constructed & bacteria beds are established.
2. Reconfigure cold water ponds (reduce size) to make more productive. Reshape to reduce dead spots or deeper as required.  Additional spillway constructed & installed here.

Cool water changes:

2016. Dig large pond & enlarge existing smaller trout ponds to become large area lagoons to grow perch.  Fabricate new flow control spillways for additional ponds created.  Another new spillway was installed August 2016.

RESULTS

Cold water results: 

The bio-filter is installed.  Needs a few more months for bacteria to grow and activate the filter function.

Cool water results: 

Started pond renovations required.  Installed new water spillway.  Now weather permitting, will do digging required to enlarge ponds for perch raising.

Purchased some perch brood fish to obtain eggs to hatch & grow this project.

WORK PLAN FOR 2017

2017 Cold water projects:

Perform cold water, water quality analysis to measure how efficient a flow-through, RAS bio-filter can be in cold water application. Measure & record results.

1. Was Ammonia Nitrogen reduction realized?
2. If so, by how much?
3. Did this process/install cause stress to fish raised downstream of bio-filter?

2017 Cool water projects:

1. The large pond drain structures are installed.  Next is to excavate the cool water ponds as planned. 
2. Plan to hatch perch eggs & raise young perch as planned

OUTREACH

July 2016 we hosted Wisconsin Aquaculture Day (3^rd Sat in July) at our Trout Farm. We had 40-45 people attend.  Throughout the day we explained what we are doing with our project and what we’re hoping our results will be.   Many did not have any idea of what the bio-filter would do so we explained that. 

1. Does it digest organic waste?
2. Does it remove Ammonia Nitrogen gas? If so, how much? 
3. Observations were that bug larva in & around the bio-filter is creating some natural feed for downstream tanks.

We are preparing presentations for Ag classes at 3 different High Schools. 

Once we have more data we will write articles for the Wisconsin Aquaculture Assoc. (WAA) newsletter, The Creel.  We also plan to give a presentation at the WAA conference; and future annual Aquaculture Day events.