SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
VOLUME 9 ISSUE 5
IMTA
FOCUS ON
AQUAPONICS
Spreading the IMTA gospel
See pages 20-31
Aquaponics gains momentum Experts discuss why the future looks bright for this growing sector
Rebranding integrated multi-trophic aquaculture into ‘3D Ocean Farming’ inspires, draws followers beyond industry borders
BY TREENA HEIN
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t’s pretty easy to understand why aquaponics is growing in North America and around the world. Local food, especially that produced in urban areas and available even in the winter, sees robust demand because of its freshness. Locally produced food also provides consumers with peace of mind about where their food comes from. “People are more conscious about the carbon footprint of their food – how far it has to travel,” notes Dr Chris Hartleb, a professor of fisheries biology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the director of the Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility & Aquaponics Innovation Center. Producing greens by themselves in aquaponic systems is very profitable due to the large amounts that can be produced and a quick turnaround. So why produce fish? Hartleb says fish represent only about 10 percent of profits – at least it typically does in aquaculture operations in the upper Midwest where mostly tilapia is grown. However, he notes that there is strong interest among aquaponic growers in higher-value fish such as Atlantic salmon, perch and walleye that can fetch three times the price. (Superior Fresh is leading the charge on that front, with salmon.)
Connecticut shellfish farmer Bren Smith promotes the benefits of ‘regenerative ocean farming’ to people across the US and overseas Students harvest lettuce from the UW-Stevens Point Aquaponic Innovation Center. Wisconsin now has 60 aquaponic operations, up from 10 five years ago, says UWSP professor Chris Hartleb. Credit: Chris Hartleb continued on page 23
STATE OF AQUACULTURE
Aquaculture behind record fish production, consumption quaculture’s crucial role in feeding the world’s growing population is underscored yet again in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) biennial report, “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture.” Global fish production peaked at about 171 million tonnes in 2016, of which aquaculture accounts for 53 percent (excludes non-food uses) or 80 million tonnes, with first-sale value of $231.6 billion.
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continued on page 9 With 5.8 percent annual growth rate since 2010, aquaculture continues to grow faster than other major food production sectors. Credit: Adobe Stock
BY TOM WALKER
ometimes you can see the future by looking to the past. Connecticut shellfish farmer Bren Smith would walk by a mural on the wall of the Madison post office that depicts farmers gathering seaweed from the beaches of Long Island Sound in the 1930s. “I didn’t make the connection until I was growing kelp myself. One of the things it was used for was fertilizer.” “The last thing I really wanted to do was grow kelp,” admits Smith, but kelp’s nature as a fast-growing crop that requires low maintenance was hard to resist. “You do almost nothing to it, just a drive-by every two weeks to be sure the gear isn’t broken,” he says. The need to generate various sources of income led Smith to adopt the IMTA model. “Every commercial fisherman (he used to be one) knows one needs a diverse source of income. I was also looking for other things to grow to use all of the water column.”
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