Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on negative human impacts on the marine environment
Impact of aquaculture on environment
Impact of aquaculture on environment
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Humans have been performing aquaculture since Egyptian times. Aquaculture, by definition, is the process of growing aquatic organisms for consumption by human populations. Traditionally, aquaculture has been carried out in flow through systems, or pens in open water. These methods greatly increase the biogeochemical loading, as the fish excrete ammonia (~90%) and urea (~10%) (Timmons and Ebeling, 2013). The biogeochemical nitrogen cycle is driven by microorganisms, that perform nitrification, anaerobic ammonia oxidation. Nitrification leads to the production of nitrite and nitrate from the oxidation of ammonia. Ammonia and nitrite are inherently toxic to fish; however, the sensitivity to these nitrogenous compounds varies by species. It was suggested that in Cyprinus carpio, or common catfish, ammonia is regulated at the gill interface by Na+/K+-ATPase. With nitrite, fish are most sensitive in the early stages of growth; this is most often observed as poor gill structure and inflammation of muscle tissue (Kroupova et al., 2010). In a separate review, Dolomatov, et al., 2011, concluded that the most critical times for nitrite regulation are during the incubation of eggs; larvae rearing; and wintering fish.
In recent years, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) have been employed to minimize water usage and environmental nutrient loading due to intensive fish farming. The recirculating of water throughout an RAS relies upon nitrifying microorganisms to transform ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. Nitrate is generally non-toxic to the fish species being raised. Additionally, as recirculating aquaculture systems have evolved, stocking densities have been pushed to their limit. As these RAS are pushed to their limits, problems with...
... middle of paper ...
...013
Timmons, Michael B.; Ebeling, J. M. (2013). Recirculating Aquaculture (3rd ed.). Ithaca: Ithaca Publishing Company, LLC.
Titov, V. Y., & Petrenko, Y. M. (2005). Proposed mechanism of nitrite-induced methemoglobinemia. Biochemistry. Biokhimii͡a, 70(4), 473–83. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15892615
Tomasso, J. R., & Grosell, M. (2005). Physiological basis for large differences in resistance to nitrite among freshwater and freshwater-acclimated euryhaline fishes. Environmental Science & Technology, 39(1), 98–102. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15667081
Wahidulla, S., & Rajamanickam, Y. R. (2010). Detection of DNA damage in fish Oreochromis mossambicus induced by co-exposure to phenanthrene and nitrite by ESI-MS/MS. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 17(2), 441–52. doi:10.1007/s11356-009-0198-1
...urkholder, J., Libra, B., Weyer, P., Heathcote, S., Kolpin, D., Thorne, P., et al. (2007). Impacts of waste from concentrated animal feeding operations on water quality. Environmental Health Perspectives, 11(2), 308–312. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1817674/pdf/ehp0115-000308.pdf
In the early development process of many organisms, it is important to be able to minimize exposure to agents of stunted or arrested development. By decreasing the mortality rate for a generation of a species, that species is given an advantage in later reproduction; by increasing the number of organisms of the same species within a limited environment, more organisms of the same species are able to reproduce, resulting in an augmented overall population ("Reproduction and Development", 2013). However, when toxins are introduced to an environment, an embryo’s viability can decrease. Mortality rates for the generation of the species can increase, and defects that are harmful to the reproductive cycle can emerge. Thus, it is necessary to measure and observe the effects of certain toxins on embryonic development. The North American brine shrimp, or Artemia Franciscana (Artemia Salina), is subject to changes in its environment. Toxins introduced to its hatching environment, such as ethanol (in concentrations of 0.1%, 0.15%, and 0.2%), can have significant impact for the hatching process and embryonic development. The experiment sought to explore the relationship between birth defects and exposure to ethanol at early developmental stages through the use of American brine shrimp. However, to be able to fully comprehend the impact that certain toxins would have on the embryonic development of the North American brine shrimp, it is first important to be versed in its specific hatching process.
Weil, R.R.; Weismiller, R.A.; Turner, R.S.; "Nitrate contamination of groundwater under irrigated coastal plain soils." Journal of Environmental Quality, vol. 19, July - Sept. 1990, p.441-447.
Aquaponics systems are the combination of aquaculture (raising fish in a tank) and hydroponics (growing of plants in a soil-less environment) that facilitates the growth of the fish and plants simultaneously in one integrated system. The waste produced by the fish would provide a source of nutrition for the growing plants and the plants naturally filter the water in which the fish live in. Another process involved in the aquaponics system is the participation of microbes (nitrifying bacteria) and composting red worms that flourish in the growing media. They convert the ammonia present in the fish waste into nitrites, then into nitrates and the solids into vermicompost that serves are food for the plants. By combining both aquaculture and hydroponics, aquaponics capitalizes on the benefits of both and eliminates the downsides associated with them.
The study used a variety of species of fish, crab, shrimp, lobster, and other crustaceans known to live on the bottom waters of the Long Island Sound were exposed to low levels of oxygen in the laboratory. The effect of different concentration of oxygen on growth and survival was measured.
Eutrophication of bodies of water is a naturally occurring phenomenon. However, the process has been aggravated by the human population. Such man-made eutrophication is caused by excessive discharge of nutrien...
They achieved this by raising plants on rafts on the surfaces of lakes. However, in modern times, aquaponics emerged from the aquaculture industry because fish farmers started experimenting with other methods and approaches to raising fish, while at the same time, trying to decrease their dependence on land and minimalizing resources. In the 1970s, Dr. James Rakocy of the University of the Virgin Islands began research into using plants as a natural filter, thus laying some of the groundwork that’d later contribute to the creation of aquaponics. In the mid-1980s, the first major large scale commercial aquaponics facility, Bioshelters, was founded in Amherst, Massachusetts and is still in operation today. In September, 2011, Sylvia Bernstein’s book, Aquaponic Gardening was introduced at the first annual Aquaponics Association Conference in Orlando, Florida. It marked the first time that a complete guide to designing, building, starting and maintaining a media-based aquaponics system had been
... (The Issues: Factory Farming, n.d.). Nutrients and bacteria from that waste can also contaminate waterways, disturbing the aquatic ecosystems.
The ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate tests are used to determine if the fish’s environment is safe to live in or if the water is too toxic. Ammonia and nitrite are very toxic while nitrate is mostly harmless. To eliminate these chemicals, adding more bacterial supplement will cause the cycle to continue at a faster rate. These tests also show how the nitrogen cycle is progressing in the tank. As the cycle progresses, ammonia will decrease while nitrite increases. Then nitrite decreases and nitrate increases. Then nitrate decreases and your tank should be balanced.
Aquaponics produces the biggest, best, and most diverse fruits and vegetables in the smallest amount of space. Unlike normal gardening and farming, Aquaponics is not limited to seasons or climate, which means all types of fruits and vegetables can be produced year round. When farmers can produce any plant, any where, at any time, the produce can be picked at the peak of its ripeness, which is when it looks and tastes the best, and since farme...
Aquaponics is the mix of aquaculture (fish cultivating) and hydroponics (soilless plant society). In aquaponics, the supplement rich water that outcomes from raising fish gives a wellspring of common manure for the developing plants. As the plants devour the supplements, they help to clean the water that the fish live in. A characteristic microbial procedure keeps both the fish and plants sound. This makes a maintainable environment where both plants and fish can flourish. Aquaponics is the
The tank is the main component because it will serve as the house for the water, fish, and bacteria. The place for bacteria to nitrify is necessary for any aquaponic system because if there weren't any nitrifying bacteria, all the plants would die due to ammonia poisoning. The grow bed serves as the house to hold plants that are being grown, and it allows for water to reach the plant. The fish are essential in aquaponics systems because they produce the ammonia that is critical for nitrification. The plants are the most crucial part of aquaponics because without them the fish would not get the nutrient-rich water which allows them to
The people of the world are demanding more fish every year. Creating a huge opportunity for profits when that demand is filled. However, current fisheries alone cannot sustain this demand, aquaculture must be present to alleviate strain on our world's fisheries. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2012) in 2006 the world produced 137.3 million tons of fish, 47.3 million tons of this was produced with aquaculture . By 2010 the total production of fish was 148.5 million tons, and total aquaculture production was 59.9 million tons. While total capture production has remained almost constant from 2006 to 2010, aquaculture production has steadily increased and is projected to continue to increase (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2012). However, traditional flow-through aquaculture systems (FTS) come with a host of ecological problems. While some of these problems are fixable I believe the future of aquaculture lies in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). I intend to find out whether RAS is more environmentally sustainable than flow-through aquaculture systems. Also can new technologies correct problems with current RAS facilities making them more environmentally sustainable.
Also, farming practices such as sampling, harvesting, crowding and others that may stress the fish and make them more susceptible to parasite infestations. Regarding the water quality, the main parameters may play an important role in the overall fitness of farmed fish and so may increase the susceptibility of fish to the diseases. For example, fish exposed to low dissolved oxygen or high ammonia are most likely to become more vulnerable to parasitic invasion while fish living under optimum conditions of water quality and are fed on high quality feed could tolerate and survive such
Nitrogen is used by plants in order to synthesize protein peptide bonds and for cell growth. Not only is this nutrient required in the largest quantity by plants, but it is also the most frequently limiting factor when it comes to productivity in crops. Plants cannot use nitrogen in the air and in the soil system it is lost easily. Because of this plants are forced to obtain nitrogen in the form of nitrate and ammonium from the soil. Too much nitrate can cause a negative effect on the plant including nitrate toxicity. High levels of nitrate are not only bad for plants but can also be dangerous to animals or humans in their presence. Here I discuss the scientific evidence of the effects of nitrate accumulation on plants and the environment and argue that too much nitrate accumulation can be harmful to its surroundings.