Marine Resources Center :: Outreach & Education :: Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative


MRC» Outreach Program» Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative



Greenhouse In the summer of 2006, we constructed a 900 square-foot greenhouse in Woods Hole. It serves as our laboratory for conducting experiments with aquaculture techniques that could potentially be implemented in Haiti. Our greenhouse, climate-controlled to simulate Haitian conditions, contains small-scale fish rearing “ponds” and is a critical link between the MBL and third world fish farmers. Conducting these experiments in Woods Hole is a controlled process that permits success or failure without consequence to the Haitian farmer. The methods we utilize here can be passed on for further refinement in Haiti with a greater likelihood of success. Between the fall of 2006 and the present, we have worked on the refinement and preparation of farming methods and technologies, such as hydroponics, aquatic composting, organic and inorganic aquatic fertilization schemes, low-tech water filtration methods, and the production of aquatic protein via periphyton. We have been evaluating fish growth rates, feed conversion rates, as well as water quality limits for raising tilapia in “green-water” ponds. We have explored the palatability of vegetarian fish pellets and are currently conducting experiments to quantify and evaluate the effectiveness of natural pond protein production through periphyton growth.