Aquaculture at Reymann Memorial Farm

1. Aquaculture at Reymann Memorial Farm The raceway system is an experimental design utilizing honeycomb fiber reinforced polymer (HFRP). The photo below shows Jerry Hott, a local contractor installing the system. Each raceway has three sections. Section one adds oxygen to the water. Section two is where the fish live and grow. Section three (Quiescent Zone) is for solid waste to settle out before the water flows into succeeding raceways. The stand pipe, in the quiescent zone, is used to divert the solid waste into the pond, settling chamber, or pumped onto nearby fields. The picture above illustrates the three segments. This is a sketch of the system before it was built. The site was chosen based on proximity to a nearby natural spring. The spring supplies 400 gpm of 55°F water, which is well suited to year-round trout growth. Spring water is captured at the intake and flows by gravity about 600 feet through a 12 inch pipe to the head box. The head box and eight raceways (30´L x 3´W x 3´D) were installed in July 2003. Present work at this facility centers on growing trout for the recreational market and learning to manage fish waste biologically rather than mechanically. The building, pictured below, was added in the summer 2004 to keep out predators and enhance security. Security entails transmission of fish diseases as well as theft by two footed, wingless predators. Shelter from rain, snow, wind, and sun makes working and visiting more convenient. Research conducted at Reymann Memorial typically involves collection of growth data. Total weight in each raceway, as well as, average weights and lengths are ascertained at six week intervals. The picture above shows length measurements being taken on a brook trout. Air blowers are used to increase dissolved oxygen concentration in the water by forcing air through diffusers located at the head of each raceway. Compressed air cylinders are used in the event of power or mechanical failure. (photo below) Algae growing in the pond is unsightly, but it is doing something useful. With abundant sunshine, the algae absorbs nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous and grows more plant biomass The pond was built to be shallow so plants would have good access to the sunshine and so the pond could be emptied by gravity into the stream if necessary. If you visit the pond, look closely, and you may see a few large rainbow and brook trout left over from previous experiments. Some day, we expect to reuse some of the water and will pump water from the pond into additional tanks or raceways. Elevations were carefully measured at the spring, field, and creek level in order to insure gravity flow. The amount of fish which can be grown in the system is dependent on the amount of food fed and the amount of oxygen available to the fish. It would be much better if the water falling between raceways fell a distance to two feet or more. Gravity adds oxygen cheaper than any other method. The diagram above shows the planned elevations for the system. This work has been funded by both state and federal grants. WVU faculty in Animal Science, Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Horticulture, and the Extension Service collaborate in this work. We are grateful for the support of our state and federal representatives, and especially wish to thank Senator Robert Byrd and Delegate Harold Michael for their support. This material is based on work supported by the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service, U.S. Dept. Of Ag. under agreement number 2004-34386-15011. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Dept. of Ag.