Fish also lose weight? Why build a "runway" in the pond to raise fish?

Recently, a new way of raising fish has become popular in ponds, that is, building a "runway" in the pond to raise fish. This seems to make people think, are the fish also going to start exercising and losing weight? However, this is not the case. There are more profound scientific principles behind this. Let us unveil the mystery of this eye-catching fish-raising method.

1. The scientific basis of “runway fish farming”

In today's society, health has become a life attitude, like a good friend who always reminds us to keep our bodies in good shape. Many people exercise to stay healthy, lose fat and shape their bodies. However, this "runway fish farming" is not imitating the human fitness model, but is supported by deeper scientific principles.

Image source: pixabay

In the past, traditional pond farming methods had some problems, such as waste of resources and water pollution. Putting fish in a pond is like putting your pet in a place with poor air quality and letting it fend for itself. In order to improve this situation, some fish farming experts came up with an innovative idea. They introduced the concept of a "gym" in the farming environment.

However, the "gym" here is not a place we usually understand, but an optimized breeding environment. They set up a series of facilities in the breeding pond, which looks a bit like a "runway". The design of these breeding units is quite ingenious, confining the fish in a relatively small space, as if building a well-designed "gym" for them.

Image source: pixabay

The flow of water plays a key role in this, allowing the fish to swim in the water as if they were doing aerobic exercise. This exercise helps to improve the fish's physique and meat firmness.

2. The operation mode of "gym"

The new pond circulating water aquaculture system mainly consists of four parts, namely, the water pusher, the aquaculture unit, the aquaculture waste collection system and supporting facilities and equipment. The water pusher is located at the front end of the aquaculture unit and is the power source of the system. It generates a large number of floating micro bubbles during aeration. The micro bubbles not only increase oxygen in the water, but also make the still water in the pond move.

Image source: pixabay

The box of the breeding unit is a rectangular parallelepiped, with the sides and bottom completely closed and the top open, just like a runway, which confines the fish in a relatively small space. The fish like to swim against the water in the flowing water, as if they are running for fitness. The fish strengthen their physique through exercise, and the meat is firmer. In order to meet the fish's need for high dissolved oxygen, auxiliary oxygen devices are added to the bottom and sides of the breeding box to increase the oxygen content in the water.

At the end of the whole system is the pond's sewage suction device. In view of a characteristic of sturgeon feces, its feces are flocculent and difficult to collect. The sewage suction device is changed to a bottom suction type sewage collection, and the sewage suction pipe is connected with a sewage suction pump. The pipe is placed in the same direction as the breeding unit. The waste is lifted out of the sedimentation tank outside the pond through the slots or holes on the pipe by the sewage suction pump. The waste is collected twice a day. The sewage suction pipe sucks back and forth twice in the waste collection area, so that the waste deposited at the bottom can be effectively collected.

In addition to the above three main components, other auxiliary facilities and equipment are also needed, including sedimentation tanks, plank roads, auxiliary oxygenation systems, online water quality monitoring systems, etc.

During the research on the circulating water aquaculture technology for sturgeon ponds, we found that the maintenance of water quality in the entire water delivery system is actually mainly dependent on the supply from the outer pond. So our next step was to continue research on the circulating water model of the entire pond, with a focus on the management of the water in the outer pond.

Image source: pixabay

Through this series of innovative measures, fish farming has taken on new vitality. This "runway fish farming plan" not only improves farming efficiency and reduces resource waste, but also achieves considerable achievements in environmental protection, achieving a win-win situation for ecology and economy. This scientific fish farming method not only allows us to think more deeply about health, environmental protection and technological innovation, but also brings a glimmer of hope for the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry.

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Lao Ke, a popular science author

Reviewer: Liu Yadan, researcher of China Fisheries Society