Aquaculture Site Selection and Design

• Course AAAQ1012 covers site selection, design, and setup for aquaculture.
• Course AAAQ2024 deals with live food species and their production.

Coursework Assessment (70%)

• Assignments contribute 70% to the coursework assessment
• Written tests account for 30% of the coursework assessment

Final Examination (30%)

• The final exam is a 1-hour paper with 2 questions

Key Topics in AAAQ1012

• Planning, designing, and layout of aquaculture farms are important considerations.
• Sites for hatcheries, nurseries, and grow-out facilities have key selection criteria.
• Cage culture systems should be considered

Additional Topics in AAAQ1012

• Aquaculture zoning should be considered
• Environmental aspects are an important topic

Learning Outcomes

• Students will understand the importance of site selection in aquaculture
• Students will learn the key criteria for selecting an aquaculture site
• Different aquaculture system designs will be introduced

Site Selection Definition

• It is a process of choosing a specific area in an aquatic environment
• Environmental, technical, legal, administrative, social, and economic factors are examined to set up an aquaculture project

Importance of Site Selection

• A good site selection contributes to the success of an aquaculture business
• The farm site affects farm layout, management, construction cost, fish production, pond management, and profitability

Best Practice to Site Selection

• Optimal conditions for aquaculture operations are ensured through proper site selection
• Environmental impacts are minimized
• Potential conflicts with other land or water uses are resolved

Layout Planning

• Layout planning involves deciding on the best physical arrangement of all resources that consume space within a facility
• Resources include desks, work centers, cabinets, people, and even entire offices or departments

Layout Plan Essentials

• All site establishments must be shown
• All planned structures and their locations must be shown
• Characteristics data of the structures must be included

More Layout Plan Essentials

• Building characteristics including measurements is required
• The relationship of the building to internal roads and utility connections must be clear

Site Selection Factors

• Ecological, biological/operational, and economic/social factors must be considered

1. Ecological Factors

• Water, climate, hydrological characteristics, soil characteristics, and topography (land) need to be addressed

2. Biological & Operational Factors

• Species being cultured, the scale of production, and the availability of seed need to be determined

3. Economic & Social Factors

• Legal, electricity, laborer, transportation, and communication access need to be taken into account

2.1 Ecological factors

• Water
• Climate
• Hydrological characteristics
• Soil characteristic
• Topography

2.1a Water supply and water quality

• Sufficient water quantity and quality decide suitability of aquaculture pond site

Water Sources

• Water sources include ground water, rain water, rivers, streams, irrigation canals, lakes, dams, and marine protected areas
• Water must be available all year round
• Iron must be removed from groundwater

Water Supply Considerations

• Water can be supplied via feeder channel, storage tank, or pipeline
• Supplying via gravity is most economical
• Minimum water supply for a pond built in suitable soil should be greater than 5 L/sec/ha throughout the year.

Water Sources to Avoid

• Domestic water (chlorine, expensive)
• Water with high levels of organic matter
• Bore water (nitrogen, carbon, total dissolved salts, minerals and gases)

Malaysian Water Authority (Department of Irrigation and Drainage, JPS)

• Investigations for a proper water source requires – statement from the Irrigation Division or other Water Authority, JPS
• Hydrological studies are conducted by JPS to understand water availability, flow patterns, and water quality, providing valuable information for aquaculture planning and management
• Licenses and permits are issued by JPS for aquaculture farms regarding water usage and discharge

Water Volume

• Know the amount of water to the ponds / hatchery/ nursery
• Note any restrictions on water supply to the fish farm

Water Quality Checks

• Water quality should be investigated as take samples from the water sources and send for laboratory analysis
• Physical properties should be tested: temperature, colour, odour, turbidity, transparency, suspended solids
• Chemical properties should be tested: pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, free carbon dioxide, alkalinity, salinity, dissolved solids, ammonia, pollutants of agricultural or industrial origin

Biological Factors Check

• Water quality should be investigated to evaluate quality and density of plankton
• Test the micro-biological properties: species and quantity of parasites

General Water Parameters

• The ideal pH is 6.5 – 8.5
• Dissolved oxygen = 3 – 8 mg/L
• Dissolved CO2 < 20 mg/L
• Turbidity – Crystal clear (not much of suspended matter)
• Temperature = 24 – 28 °C
• Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) < 5 mg/L/day
• Ammonia < 0.05 mg/L
• Nitrite < 2 mg/L
• Nitrate < 200 ppm

Groundwater vs Surface Water

• Groundwater has low turbidity and surface water has high turbidity
• Groundwater has less predators/disease vectors and surface water has more
• Groundwater has less exposure to contaminants and surface water has greater
• Groundwater is higher in mineral content whereas surface water is low
• There is low/no DO in Groundwater, and DO is present in surface water
• Groundwater is high in Iron, and Surface water is lower
• Groundwater has a High hardness and Surface water has a low hardness
• Higher extraction cost for groundwater and cheaper for Surface Water