Aquaculture at Reymann Memorial Farm

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Aquaculture at Reymann Memorial Farm
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.
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.
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 55F 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 (30L x 3W x 3D) 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.