Field Evaluation of a Passive Aeration System for Aquaculture

Overview

Project	Field Evaluation of a Passive Aeration System for Aquaculture
Collaborators	BRAC Enterprises (Bangladesh) Curiositate
Location Applied	Bangladesh
Website	University of Toronto

Aquaculture is a large industry in many low income countries (LICs); fish farms account for about 5 percent of the GDP of Bangladesh. Improving the quality of aquaculture pond water has the potential to increase fish yields, raise incomes, and improve food security. In large aquaculture facilities, aeration has been shown to improve water quality and increase yields. However, aeration equipment is costly and requires electrical power inputs which can limit its use in LICs. Dissolved oxygen (DO) that is used by the fish is provided by photosynthesis, which is related to sunlight and takes place during daylight hours. The oxygen is produced at the pond surface and much oxygen is lost to the atmosphere. By circulating the water, more oxygen can be introduced.