SBIR-STTR Award

Fingerlakes Aquaculture (FLA) proposes a new design for commercial tilapia production referred to as the FIG system. The FIG system consists of improved fluidized sand beds and improved fish movement systems between tanks as the increase in size from fingerling to growout; finally the FIG system incorporates a simple purging mechanism that eliminates the need for a movement of fish prior to sale. The sand bed design incorporates features to control the bio-flock zone, a method to eliminate bio-flock, a swirl separator to catch and retrieve sand leaving the reactor vessel, and breaker bars to prevent large flocks of sand escaping. The proposed sand bed proprietary design should increase the reliability and robustness of sand filter technology and reduce the costs associated with the nitrification systems necessary in water reuse systems. Both bench scale and prototype units will be constructed to evaluate bed growth, suspended solids capture across the sand bed, bioflock accumulation on top of the sand bed, and sand loss due to bioflock removal. Both quantitative and qualitative measurement of the proprietary design will be performed and estimates of the reduced costs of the proprietary design in comparison to other nitrification systems currently available on the commercial market. The fish movement designs are expected to reduce labor costs, minimize periods of lost fish growth as a result of tank movement, and increase the efficiency of preparing fish to be ready for sale by removing any off favors.

Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research:
:It is expected that this new proprietary design will improve the reliability of sand beds by reducing failure due to sand blow out and improve overall water quality and reduce costs associated with management and maintenance. Other proprietary features will minimize back-siphoning that plugs laterals with sand and an other design aspect will actually eliminate bio-flock accumulation in-situ. A new design for the lateral structures will reduce overall costs of the sand filter and also increase reliability of the entire unit and allow components of the lateral system to be repaired without shutting down the entire system. The enhanced reliability and reduced cost of the proprietary design features will directly reduce the costs associated with indoor tilapia culture.

FLA will continue its efforts of Phase I towards developing improved biofiltration systems and overall system management components such as CO2 stripping, oxygen addition, solids removable, purging and fish movement between different rearing steps. Two biofilter types will be further tested, a cyclo- biofilter that is an upflowing fluidized sand bed with no internal pipes for water distribution and a macro-scale microbead filter (1 mm beads) that also serves to strip carbon dioxide and condition the rearing water. A major effort will be made in the economic analysis of the costs of production associated with this new management system (referred to as the FIG system or Fully Integrated Growout System). Finally, a contract instrument will be developed to assist in securing 5 to 10 million pounds per year of tilapia production from contract farmers so that a processing plant can be justified economically.

Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research:
The proposed effort can lead to the beginning of a major expansion in the U.S.'s ability to compete in the tilapia market. Costs associated with the FIG system during Phase I indicate that properly scaled, the farm gate prices for tilapia will allow cost competitive production of fresh tilapia fillets. This can then begin to reduce the U.S. trade deficit for seafood products.