INTEGRATED MULTITROPHIC AQUACULTURE (IMTA) IN EARTHEN PONDS

摘要

In Portugal extensive and semi-intensive fish culture in earthen ponds are traditional activities in salt-marsh areas. Production costs are often too high to offer sustainable economic activity in the current context (high labour and energy costs), due to the low productivity of these systems. The right combination of commercial finfish species with inorganic and organic extractive species in an Integrated MultiTrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) will create a balanced system in the earthen ponds with lower cost, product diversification, and improved output with higher profitability and risk reduction. With that objective in mind a series of IMTA experiments in earthen ponds of fed bream species (Sparus aurata, Diplodus puntazzo, D. sargus, D. vulgaris and D. cervinus), with Portuguese oysters (Crassostrea angulata) feeding on natural phytoplankton were carried out at the Portuguese Aquaculture Research Centre in Olhao under the SEAFARE project. The results were compared with tanks with similar conditions but no oysters. This talk present the results from the experiment that took place during 2010 grow out season (May 2010 to January 2011).