Development and Testing of a Drainable Floating Fish Tank for Fish Culture in Deep Water Bodies

View the project final report

Commodities

• Animals: fish
• Animal Products: meat

Practices

• Animal Production: aquaculture

In the state of Iowa there are about 9,000 acres of abandoned quarry pits and 12,000 acres of abandoned coal mines.  Depending on the location, many of these have substantial water resources that could support aquaculture but are not being used due to their depths (water bodies cannot be drained), which makes fish harvest difficult or nearly impossible. The goal of this project is to design a floating 7,500-gallon tank with 6,000 gallons available to hold fish.  Once the fish are raised to a desired size, a discharge valve will be opened (using no pumps or energy), and water will leave the tank allowing fish to be easily harvested.  This design will build upon a smaller, earlier prototype. In addition to the energy savings, this tank will allow fish to be harvested from these systems with minimal equipment and effort. Upon the successful completion of this project, aquaculturists will be able to produce fish economically by accessing abandoned water bodies that to date have not been used for fish production. The limited amount of energy in the tank design will allow fish to be produced with minimal environmental impacts.

1. Develop and test a floating fish tank for use in Iowa’s abandoned water bodies.
2. Evaluate the costs and benefits of the floating fish tank for regional fish production.
3. Share findings through field days and web site.