Split Pond Technology Makes its Debut on an Alabama Inland Shrimp Farm

摘要

The use of split ponds in the United States catfish industry is quickly achieving a foothold. Following applied research by Drs. Craig Tucker and Les Torrans at the USDA-ARS Warmwater Research Unit, the industry now has over 809 ha of split ponds. Split ponds are pond-based outdoor systems featuring two or more ponds separated by interior levees. Fish are confined in a smaller lagoon, usually 15-20 percent of the total water surface area, while the larger lagoon(s) serve as waste treatment areas. Water is continually circulated through the system via concrete channels or culverts placed at both ends of the interior levee when oxygen is photosynthetically produced in the water treatment area. When nighttime respiration decreases oxygen to criticallylow concentrations, circulation is typically stopped between the sections and mechanical aeration is applied in the fish-holding lagoon only.