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Cornell University

Aquaculture Development in New York

Aquaculture Illustrations

Finfish Farming

Finfish can be raised on land using tanks with fresh or saltwater. Traditional methods for land-based fish farming used ponds or raceways (long troughs) with water from rivers or underground springs.

Illustration of pond used for raising finfish.
Illustration of pond system used for raising finfish. Georg Pederson
Illustration of raceway system used for raising finfish.
Illustration of raceway system used for raising finfish. Georg Pederson

Large scale operations often incorporate recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) where up to 95% of the water is reused after undergoing filtration. These systems involve a lot of equipment to monitor the water quality levels to keep the system operating efficiently. Sizes of these operations can vary but the technology allows fish farms to be constructed virtually anywhere there is freshwater and electricity available.

Illustration of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) for finfish farming.
Illustration of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) for finfish farming. Georg Pederson

Finfish can also be raised in large floating pens in the marine environment. This is often known as off-shore fish farming and is less common in the U.S. than land-based operations.

Illustration of floating pens used for off-shore fish farming
Illustration of floating pens used for off-shore fish farming Georg Pederson

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Aquaponics

Aquaponic operations raise finfish in tanks and have that water circulate through the plant roots. The excess nutrients created by the fish act as fertilizer for the plants. Often, aquaponic operations are focused on selling the plants and the fish are sold as a by-product.

Illustration of aquaponic system with plants being raised on the water that fish are living in.
Illustration of aquaponic system with plants being raised on the water that fish are living in. Georg Pederson

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Shellfish Farming

Most commercial shellfish farming is done in the marine (saltwater) environment. Several systems for containing the shellfish are depicted below. Oyster are the most common species raised by farmers

Various methods for raising shellfish
Various methods for raising shellfish (clockwise from the top left): floating cages on the surface, suspended cages, rack and bag, and cages sunk on the bottom. Georg Pederson

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Seaweed Farming

There are many species of seaweed that can be raised in the marine environment. Some tropical species are raised in tanks but sugar kelp is the most common at this point and is raised on farms in various waterbodies, often on or near oyster farms.

Illustration of a sugar kelp farm.
Illustration of a sugar kelp farm. Buoys keep the lines with kelp attached suspended in water column. Georg Pederson
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