Aquacultural engineering is a multidisciplinary field of
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
and that aims to solve technical problems associated with farming aquatic
vertebrates
Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () ( chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, ...
,
invertebrates
Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...
, and
algae
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
. Common aquaculture systems requiring optimization and engineering include sea cages,
ponds
A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...
, and recirculating systems. The design and management of these systems is based on their production goals and the economics of the farming operation.
Aquaculture technology is varied with design and development requiring knowledge of mechanical, biological and environmental systems along with
material engineering and
instrumentation. Furthermore, engineering techniques often involve solutions borrowed from
wastewater treatment
Wastewater treatment is a process used to remove contaminants from wastewater and convert it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environme ...
, fisheries, and traditional agriculture.
Aquacultural engineering has played a role in the expansion of the aquaculture industry, which now accounts for half of all
seafood products consumed in the world. To identify effective solutions the discipline is combined with both fish physiology and business economics unknowledge.
Recirculating aquaculture systems
Recirculating aquaculture systems often involve intensive, high-density culture of a species with limited water usage and extensive filtration. In a typical recirculating aquaculture system, a series of filtration steps maintains a high level of water quality that promotes rapid fish growth.
Steps include solids removal, biofiltration, oxygenation, and pumping, with each one requiring different equipment and engineering considerations. Comprehensive instrumentation and sensor controls are required to monitor this equipment and the underlying water conditions such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Development of recirculating aquaculture systems is still underway in 2017, and engineering advances are needed to make the systems economically viable for culturing most species.
Research
The ''Journal of Aquacultural Engineering'' publishes engineers' studies related to the design and development of aquacultural systems.
Worldwide, universities provide aquacultural engineering education often under the umbrella of agricultural or biological engineering.
See also
*
Recirculating aquaculture systems
References
{{fisheries and fishing
Aquaculture
Engineering disciplines