Day 27 - Aquaculture Engineering - Session 2

Aquaculture
Engineering
MIGUEL D. VISCA, JR., PhD
ROMBLON STATE UNIVERSITY-SANTA FE
COLLEGE OF FISHERIES
Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

ONLINE Review for Fisheries Professionals Licensure Examination (July-September, 2021)
Fish Cage
Engineering

Outline
Site Fishpond
Pre-Test Surveying Construction
2 4
1
3
Site Fishpond Post-Test

Selection Design
Fish Cage
an enclosure which
is either floating or
stationary made up
of nets or screens
fastened together
and installed in the
water with opening
at the surface (R.A.
8550/10654).

Potential sites for cage culture
Inland freshwater water
• lakes, reservoirs, rivers,

small water
impoundments,
streams, large deep
ponds

Near shore marine water
river mouths, coves,

channel between islands,
or any wind covered areas

Types and design of cages
Cages can have different type

and design depending on the
conditions of the site and
available construction
materials

Offshore marine water
all the areas in the open

seas

Fixed cage
• usually used and sited
in sheltered shallow
water with minimal
water depth fluctuation.
• tied up in bamboo poles
staked down into the
bottom sediment.
Fixed cage
• applicable for
small scale cage
operation and
cage size is
normally small.

Floating cage
• use in deep water
where fixed cage is
not applicable.
• size and shape varies
depending choice of
the farmer and the
materials used.
Floating cage
• tied up in floating
frames either of
bamboo poles or
GI pipes provided
with plastic drums
or styropore as
floaters.. Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries
Floating cage
• Nets are
provided with
sinkers to
spread out and
prevent from
floating.
Submersible
Installed as in floating
cage but provided with
net cover so that it can
be submerged when
needed as in time of
typhoon to hide down
from the strong winds. Submersible Fish Cage Project with Nitto Seimo

Submerged
• used for growing
deep water dwelling
fishes and highly
applicable in sites
with frequent
turbulent conditions.
https://aquatecindonesia.com/

Submerged
• positioned below the water surface or
seated near the bottom.
• feeding tube is provided to deliver the
feed to the fish.
• for cage seated near the bottom the
worker need to dive down to feed the fish.

Qualifications of species
for mariculture
• Readily acceptable by the markets

• Broodfish capable to spawn with
large numbers of eggs in captivity
• Can grow well in sea water salinity,
oxygen range, and prevailing water

for mariculture
• Can withstand and adapt to crowded
culture condition
• Suitable and mild behavior under
captive environment
• Exhibit rapid and uniform growth rate
• Be amenable to take formulated feed

for mariculture
• Have simple dietary needs and
efficient converter of feeds into
edible flesh
• Not cannibalistic (if possible)
• Disease resistant and can withstand
poor water quality
• Have high meat recovery
Some Species Cultured or Under
Consideration for Culture

Near shore fish cage culture
(Milkfish and other high value fish crops)
Advantages
• Simple to construct and requires
smaller financial investment
• Easily managed (i.e. fish stocks are
easily observed, fed and harvested)
• Transferable to sites with better
environmental conditions
Advantages
• stocked with fish at higher densities than
ponds
• Offer higher production per unit area or
volume
• Greater opportunity for expansion
• Allows the use for aquaculture of existing
natural water bodies or space.
Disadvantages
• Crowded condition of fish may lead
to incidence of diseases
• Method requires high feed cost
• Vulnerable to adverse weather
condition

Disadvantages
• Attractive to poachers and vandals
• Wastes have pronounced negative
impact on the aquatic environment
• disrupt navigation and reduce
waterscape value of the site
Preparatory activities before actual
sea cage operations
Permits & Mooring Acquisation Product
Licenses Facilities of Equip Markets
2 4 6 8
3
1 5 7
Site Training of Environmental Bus. Plan

Selection Manpower Monitoring
SELECTION OF FISHCAGE
✓access to information on markets;
✓environmental problems and zoning;
✓identification of risk; and
✓local legislation
✓biology of the species (Calanoga,
2004).

Site selection
1. Minimum depth of 2-3 m
2. Water current speed
3. No coral formations
4. Hard bottom preferred
5. With suitable BOD levels
6. Accessible to harvesting vessels

Site selection
7. With land base not too far away
8. In friendly neighbor
9. Well secured area
10.No river system carrying silt
11.In site adequately protected from
strong winds and typhoons

Site selection
12.No big swells of more than 1.5 a few
times during the year
13.Away from industrial pollution
14.Away from large populations
15.Not on navigational sea lanes
16.Away from dynamite and cyanide
fishing areas
SELECTION OF FISHCAGE
✓access to information on markets;
✓environmental problems and zoning;
✓identification of risk; and
✓local legislation
✓biology of the species (Calanoga,
2004).

Permits and licenses
✓ Permit from LGU covering the area

✓ Environmental control certificate
(EMB-DENR)

Installation f mooring
Orientation – cages should be oriented

perpendicular to the prevailing winds

Activities in sea cage culture

• Sourcing and purchasing of seeds
• Transporting of seeds
• Seeding
• Feeding
• Growth monitoring
• Grading of stocks


• Sourcing and purchasing of seeds
• Transporting of seeds
• Seeding
• Feeding
• Growth monitoring
• Grading of stocks


• Net Changing and maintenance
• Harvesting
• Marketing

Seeding
✓ Right fish
✓ Right size
✓ Healthy

Feeds and feeding

• Feeds constitute the biggest bulk of
the production cost (>60%)
• Highest quality – providing all the
nutrient requirement of the fish
• Monitor FCR
• Water quality

Changing nets
• Nets should be changed as needed to
a net of bigger mesh size to allow
efficient passing of water through the
cage.

Sampling for growth and quality

• To determine fish condition
• FCR
• For harvest schedule

Sampling for growth and quality

• To determine fish condition
• FCR
• For harvest schedule

Offshore Mariculture
(Cage culture in exposed ocean waters)
Competitive advantages of offshore cage

culture farming (offshore farming)
• High water quality
• Availability of sites
• Less conflicts with other water
activities
• Minimal Environmental impacts

Competitive advantages of offshore cage

culture farming (offshore farming)
• Farm economic scale
• Distance from market

Competitive Disadvantages of Offshore

Cage Culture Farming
• Exposure to strong winds and big
waves
• Higher support transport costs
• Deeper water depth
• Working conditions
• Industry economics of scale
Competitive Disadvantages of Offshore

Cage Culture Farming
• Operating experience
• Regulatory experience

Major Parts of a Cage
FRAMES for the net cages are suspended or
fixed, the sides of which become walkways
for working, feeding and monitoring.
The frames:
✓ withstand water current;
✓ high salt content if at sea;
✓ resistant to fouling organisms.

The materials that can be used for frame are as
follows:

FLOATERS These are installed to keep the
frame stable above the water surface.
Commonly used materials for floaters:

COLLAR
• support the bag securely in the water
column and help maintain shape
• Serve as work platforms
• Made of Bamboos, GI pipes

MOORING This keeps the whole cage in a
certain location and prevents towing of the
cages by the water current. Mooring materials
are made of steel with shapes as follows:

MOORING SYSTEM:
• Consists of lines and anchors
• Chain, nylon ropes or combination
• Length should not be less than 3X the water
depth of the site
• Anchors: fabricated or bought
• concrete blocks with steel rods and eyebolt

General designs of cages
Shape:

• most efficient use of

materials and thus
lowest cost per unit
volume.
• circular shapes are
found to be better in
terms of utilization of
space
• more favorable
surface/perimeter ratio
• more resistant to
dynamic stress
• best to use round frame
because the forces are
equal all around the
circumference
Net Materials
• Net can be from various

synthetic fibers such as nylon,
polyester, HDPE and
polypropylene.

Net Materials
Netting materials can be flexible or rigid
Flexible: natural or synthetic fibers
nylon nets: knotless, knotted
Rigid: plastics and metals mesh
square or diamond mesh

Net Materials
Source: www.google.com Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Net Materials
The following qualities of HDPE make

it more suitable for the fabrication of
cages.
1. Breaking strength of HDPE in water
will be 110% as that of dry condition but
that of nylon is 85-90% only.
Net Materials
2. Shrinkage in water is 5-8% only
where as for nylon it is 10-12%.
3. HDPE will not absorb moisture but
nylon absorbs.
4. Same weight in water unlike nylon
that weighs 12% more in water.

Net Materials
5. HDPE is easy for handling and
cleaning.
6. Rigid nature makes the mesh opening
perfect which enables free exchange of
water (Philipose et al., 2012).

Classification of Cage Mgt:
Based on feed inputs:
1. Extensive
2. Semi-intensive
3. Intensive

Extensive Culture:
• Restricted to freshwater, productive
lakes & reservoirs, euthrophic areas
• Dependent on primary production
• Limited on few species
• stocking density is limited

Semi-Intensive Culture:
• Artificial food such as rice bran and
commercial feeds are given
• Widely practiced in tropical freshwaters

Semi-Intensive Culture:
• Artificial food such as rice bran and
commercial feeds are given
• Widely practiced in tropical freshwaters

Intensive Culture:
• Practiced in freshwater and marine
environment
• High stocking density
• Commercial feeds

Intensive Culture:
• Practiced in freshwater and marine
environment
• High stocking density
• Commercial feeds

Materials Life expectancy in freshwaters
1. Bamboo and logs 1–2 years
2. Metal drums 0.5–3 years
3. Rubber tires 5+ years
4. Used plastic drums 1.2+ years
5. Styrofoam covered 5+ years
not covered 2+ years
6. Ferro cement 10+ years
7. PVC Pipes 5+ years
8. Spherical buoys- aluminium 10+ years
plastic 5 years
6. Aluminum cylinders 10+ years*
Polystyrene filled
Life span of various materials used in
temperate and tropical cage and pen
construction (modified from IDRC/ SEAFDEC, 1979)
Fish Pens
Engineering

Fish Pen
man-made, constructed from

bamboo, wooden poles or
stakes driven into the
substrate.

Site Selection:
• Shelter, protected from strong winds and
waves
• Currents, stagnant waters with currents
• Water quality, less turbidity
• Water depth, should be 2-3m
• Services & security, land area availability

The fish pen is divided into three major
components, namely:
the nursery,
the main enclosure and
the barrier

Fish Pen
(a) The nursery
• constructed inside the main enclosure
structure.
• surface area of about 10 % of grow-out area.
• For a 10-ha grow-out area, the nursery can
have a dimension of 100 m × 100 m and for a
5.0-ha grow-out area, it can be 70 m × 70 m.

Fish Pen
(b) Main enclosure
• the area where the bangus stocks are
cultured until marketable sizes.
• for four months during dry season and for
about six months during rainy season.
• the size of harvested bangus is expected
to be about 5–6 pieces to a kg.
Fish Pen
(c) Barrier
• protect the grow-out enclosure, the nursery
and the tilapia cages from floating debris
and the forces of nature as well as to
discourage poaching,
• barrier structure is set up 10–15 m around
the main enclosure frame-work of grow-out
fence
Fish Pen
(c) Barrier
• framework is composed of bamboo poles
and anahaw trunks arranged similar to the
main enclosure framework.
• net on outer side is a polyester type of
material, 150 mm mesh size and 25 mesh
depth. The diameter of the bar is about 3.5
mm.
Roadmap to become a Licensed
Fisheries Technologist
PREPARATION COMMUNICATION READ LICENSED
1 3 5
FISHERIES
TECHNOLOGIST
PACER
2 4 6
ATTITUDE ENTHUSIASM
PRAYER
Thanks!
You can find me at:
miguel.visca7
migzvisca@gmail.com


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Aquaculture

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Site Fishpond Post-Test

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Inland freshwater water

• lakes, reservoirs, rivers,

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Near shore marine water

river mouths, coves,

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Cages can have different type

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Offshore marine water

all the areas in the open

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

• Readily acceptable by the markets

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Site Training of Environmental Bus. Plan

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Permits and licenses

✓ Permit from LGU covering the area

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Orientation – cages should be oriented

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Activities in sea cage culture

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Activities in sea cage culture

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Activities in sea cage culture

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Feeds and feeding

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Sampling for growth and quality

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Sampling for growth and quality

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Competitive advantages of offshore cage

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Competitive advantages of offshore cage

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Competitive Disadvantages of Offshore

Competitive Disadvantages of Offshore

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries

Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries